southwindsjanuary2007
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Boat Review: Gemini 105West Florida Anchorage Web Site
Key West Race Preview
SOUTHWINDSNews & Views for Southern Sailors
January 2007For Sailors — Free…It’s Priceless
2 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 3
4 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
WINTERWARM WEATHER
SALE
ThroughJanuary 15, 2007
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 5
SOUTHWINDSNEWS & VIEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS
From the Carolinas to Cuba…from Atlanta to the Abacos…SOUTHWINDS Covers Southern Sailing
Gemini 105 Boat Review. Photo courtesy PerformanceCruising. Page 40
Travels with Angel. Photo by Rebecca Burg. Page 38.
Travels with Angel. Photo by Rebecca Burg. Page 38.
6 From the Helm: Boater Friendly CommunitiesBy Steve Morrell
8 Letters
15 Southern Regional Monthly Weather and Water Temperatures
16 Bubba: Difficulties at The Sarasota Boat Parade of LightsBy Morgan Stinemetz
18 Products Review
19 Short Tacks: Sailing News and Events Around the South
30 Our Waterways: Cruisers get Hassled in Marco IslandDockominiums, Part II
36 The Spirit of South Carolina Makes ProgressSouth Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation
38 Travels With Angel: The Real WorldBy Rebecca Burg
40 Boat Review: Gemini 105By Capt. Ron Butler
42 Seven Seas Cruising Association Annual MeetingBy Roy Laughlin
44 Florida Sea Grant’s West Florida Anchorages Web SiteBy Steve Morrell
48 Southern Racing: Southern Regional Racing and Race CalendarsMelges 24 National ChampionshipKey West Race Week PreviewSouthern Race Reports
70 Update on Going Over to the Dark SideBy Gary Gray
28-29 Marine Market Place56-57 Regional Sailing Services Directory -
Local boat services in your area. 68 Alphabetical Index of Advertisers69 Advertisers’ List by Category69 Subscription Form
COVER: Optimists sail in the Davis Island Yacht ClubThanksgiving Regatta. Photo by Gary Hufford.
www.beachmaster.smugmug.com. z.
6 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
Boater-Friendly Communities
Iwas recently in Punta Gorda andstopped by the Fisherman’s Village
and Yacht Basin, which held its grandopening on November 30. The Villageand Yacht Basin are run and owned bythe city and were closed for repairssince 2003. The entire complex—theVillage and Yacht Basin—neededrebuilding, plus Hurricane Charleydid its share of damage. The town didit in style, reminding me of ’OlFlorida, although the marina wasdone top-notch, with all the modernconveniences. (See “Short Tacks”)
The village is like one long pier(it’s actually on a long spit of man-made land) with shops and restau-rants extending out to the very end. Italso acts as the western border andbreakwater for the new—rebuilt, butessentially new—yacht basin.
This is a boater-friendly town.The Village has docks along its easternside for boaters to tie-up to when theywant to visit for a few hours—or aday—and roam the shops and restau-rants. It also has dinghy docks for vis-itors who might anchor outside anddinghy in and want to come ashore for
a bit. A mooring field is planned forthe area, to be opened in the nearfuture.
The yacht basin has slips for non-liveaboards, liveaboards (you read itright—liveaboards allowed) and tran-sients who are cruising through orstaying a few hours. When the moor-ing field opens up, transient visitorswho dinghy in will be able to use thefacilities on shore—including a swim-ming pool (you read that right, too).The boaters will get spoiled. Imaginethat. A pump-out boat will visit themooring field for boat waste.
Last March, Southwinds publishedsome news on Punta Gorda’s efforts toinvite boaters to visit the communi-ty—or keep them happy if they wantto stay and live there. They are win-ning. Another—brand-new—80-slipmarina has been approved and will bebuilt at Laishley Park. The PuntaGorda Boating Alliance played amajor part in advising and influencingthe local community in how to devel-op the area as a boater-friendly com-munity (more in SOUTHWINDS on thisgroup in a future issue). The local
leaders worked together with thisgroup. Imagine that.
While there, I thought about allthe battles fought against boaters inwaterfront communities aroundFlorida, bringing to mind those inGulfport and Marco Island (see “OurWaterways”)—two communities nowknown as anti-boater. I read an articlein the St. Petersburg Times recentlywhere a Gulfport city council membercalled mooring fields “ugly” and saidputting a mooring field in Gulfportwould be a waste as boaters wouldstill anchor outside it and dump theirwaste in the water. The same articlesaid one Gulfport citizen—reportedlya lifelong boater—described mooringfields as “too flimsy,” and said boatsthat broke away from the mooringfield in a storm would litter down-town Gulfport.
Maybe he and the council mem-ber should take a trip down to PuntaGorda and see what they think abouthurricanes and mooring fields.
Steve MorrellEditor
FROM THE HELM
Articles and Photos WantedContact:
■ SAILING EXPERIENCES: Stories and photosabout experiences in places you’ve cruised,anchorages, marinas, or passages madethroughout the Southern cruising waters,including the Caribbean and the Bahamas.■ RACE REPORTING: Generally, we are alwayslooking for someone to send us race coveragethroughout the southern states, the Bahamasand the Caribbean. ■ CRUISING NOTES: Southern sailors cruisingon the high seas or cruising our waterways andcoasts: Send us word on where you’re at andwhat you’re doing. How the cruising life istreating you. ■ BAHAMAS: Trips, experiences, passages,anchorages, provisioning and other stories thatare of interest.■ HURRICANE STORIES: Hurricanes are a partof owning a boat in the Southern waters, andwe would like to hear how you and your boatmight have been affected by a storm or howyou prepare your boat for one, experiencesyou’ve had. Send us letters or articles.
■ OUR WATERWAYS: Information about thewaters we sail in: disappearing marinas, boat-yards and slips; mooring fields, anchoringrights, waterway access, etc.■ MAINTENANCE & TECHNICAL ARTICLES:How you maintain your boat, or rebuilt a boat,technical articles on maintenance, repairs, etc.■ INDIVIDUALS IN THE SAILING INDUSTRY:Interesting stories about the world of sailorsout there, young, old, and some that are nolonger with us but have contributed to thesport or were just true lovers of sailing.■ THE CARIBBEAN: Stories about the warmtropical waters farther south of us. ■ CHARTER STORIES: Have an interestingCharter story? In our Southern waters, or per-haps in the Bahamas, the Caribbean, or pointsbeyond in some far-off and far-out exotic place?■ FUN AND UNUSUAL STORIES: Got aninteresting story? Unusual, funny, tearjerkers,learning experiences and others wanted. Keepthem short for our last page, 700-1000 wordsroughly. Photos too, but not necessary.■ CUBA: Of course, there is always Cuba, andregardless of how our country’s elected officialstry to keep Americans out of the largest islandin the Caribbean, it will one day be open as acruising ground. Today American sailors canlegally go to Cuba and cruise if they follow theproper procedures. If you have a story aboutsuch a trip, let us look at it.
■ MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOS: Photographsare always enjoyable, whether for their beauty,their humor, or for many other reasons, andwe take them alone. We would like photoswith every story, if possible.■ COVER PHOTOS: SOUTHWINDS is alwayslooking for nice cover shots, which are alwayspaid for. They generally need to be a verticalshot, but we can sometimes crop horizontalphotos for a nice cover picture. They need tobe of a high resolution. If digital, they need tobe taken at a very high resolution (and manysmaller digital cameras are not capable of tak-ing a large, high-resolution photo as is on acover). If a photograph, then we need itscanned at high resolution, or if you send it tous, we can do so.■ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: For those of youwho are not as ambitious to write stories, wealways want to hear from you about yourexperiences and opinions.
for more information and questions.
For more Technical guidelines about layout,grammar, etc., please visit our Web site,www.southwindsmagazine.com and go to“Writer/photographer Guidelines.”
SOUTHWINDSNews & Views For Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS Media, Inc.
P.O. Box 1175, Holmes Beach, Florida 34218-1175(941) 795-8704 (877) 372-7245 (941) 795-8705 Fax
www.southwindsmagazine.co
e-mail: [email protected]
Volume 15 Number 1 January 2007
Copyright 2007, Southwinds Media, Inc.
Founded in 1993 Doran Cushing, Publisher 1993-2002
Publisher/EditorSteve Morrell [email protected] (941) 795-8704
AdvertisingGo to www.southwindsmagazine.com for information about
the magazine, distribution and advertising rates.Steve Morrell [email protected] (941) 795-8704
Regional Editors
EAST FLORIDARoy Laughlin [email protected] (321) 690-0137\
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA RACINGArt Perez [email protected] (305) 380-0106
Production Proofreading ArtworkHeather Nicoll Kathy Elliott Rebecca Burg
Contributing Writers Letters from our readers Fairlie Brinkley Rebecca BurgCapt. Ron Butler Joy Dunigan Dave EllisKat Malone Gary Gray Kim KaminskiRoy Laughlin Walt McFarlane Ron MitchelletteArt Perez Hone ScunookSouth Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation Morgan StinemetzRick White
Contributing Photographers/ArtRebecca Burg (and Artwork) Fairlie Brinkley Joy DuniganGary Gray Gary Hufford Kim KaminskiRoy Laughlin South Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: ARTICLES & PHOTOGRAPHY:SOUTHWINDS encourages readers, writers, photographers, cartoonists, jok-ers, magicians, philosophers and whoever else is out there, includingsailors, to send in their material. Just make it about the water world andgenerally about sailing and about sailing in the South, the Bahamas or theCaribbean, or general sailing interest, or sailboats, or sailing in some far-off and far-out place.
SOUTHWINDS welcomes contributions in writing and photography, sto-ries about sailing, racing, cruising, maintenance and other technical arti-cles and other sailing-related topics. Please submit all articles electronical-ly by e-mail (mailed-in discs also accepted), and with photographs, if pos-sible. We also accept photographs alone, for cover shots, racing, cruisingand just funny entertaining shots. Please take them at a high resolution ifdigital, or scan at 300 dpi if photos, or mail them to us for scanning.Contact the editor with questions.
Subscriptions to SOUTHWINDS are available at $19.95/year, or $37/2years for third class, and $24/year for first class. Checks and credit card num-bers may be mailed with name and address to SOUTHWINDS Subscriptions,PO Box 1175, Holmes Beach FL, 34218-1175, or call (941) 795-8704.Subscriptions are also available with a credit card through a secure server onour Web site, www.southwindsmagazine.com. SOUTHWINDS is distributed toover 500 locations throughout 10 Southern states. If you would like to dis-tribute SOUTHWINDS at your location, please contact the editor.
Read SOUTHWINDS on our Web sitewww.southwindsmagazine.com.
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 7
I read with interest Morgan Stinemetz’s“A Strange Tale from the Past” in theOctober 2006 issue and could feel thepain that Bob Hite experienced in firsthaving to sell his vessel and then learn-ing of her demise at the hands of an
irresponsible broker. Getting out on thewater has been a “way-of-life” for mybride and me for 20 years. Each timewe’ve sold one of our boats, it is as ifwe were losing such an intimate part ofour lives. Memories of all the good
times, mementos from cruises andalbums of photos served to remind usof the blessings we were privileged toenjoy. The last line of his story rings sotrue right now as we are probably sell-ing our last “pride and joy” as the costsof boating continue to soar. We areapproaching the sale of “our lady”with sadness, as she has taken us to somany places, so comfortably and safe-ly. Cruising has introduced us to alarge group of very special friends.
So, I say well done to Morgan forcapturing the essence of having to saygoodbye to a special friend.
Winston FowlerAboard WinSue
Winston,Thanks for your thoughtful words. It wasa sad way to end a boat ownership.
Editor
ANOTHER MARINA BITES THE DUSTNEWS FLASH! Buzzards RoostMarina on the Stono River just outsideof Charleston, SC, has been sold andwill be turned into condos and veryexpensive slips. Yet another nail in thecoffin of the live-aboard lifestyle.
It has been purchased by a devel-opment company out of Washington,D.C. They have hired a local hatchetman to do the dirty work of evictingthe long-time residents. A local group,the Bohemian Boat Club @ BuzzardsRoost, has formed a resistance com-mittee and is exploring its options.Buzzards Roost was an ideal location.It is situated on the Stono River wherethe beautiful new Maybank HiwayBridge crosses the Stono.
There was everything a cruisercould want. Showers, laundry, pool,cable TV and a computer hot spot.What really made it special was a barand restaurant called the NoisyOyster. It was about 15 minutes out-side of historic Charleston. All this forabout eight dollars a foot.
Eviction notices are being passedout. There are demands for insurance,which some boats can’t get. Another
LETTERS
“Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.” H.L. Mencken
In its continuing endeavor to share its press, SOUTHWINDS invites readers to write in with experiences & opinions.E-mail your letters to [email protected]
“A STRANGE TALE FROM THE PAST” KINDLES MEMORIES
See LETTERS continued on page 10
8 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 9
10 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
LETTERS
sad chapter in the end of the live-aboard lifestyle.Capt. Flash
Charleston, SC
Capt. Flash,Sorry to hear that. I know that marina, and it holds one of my bestmemories. It was my goodbye to Charleston and a lot of greatfriends I met there while on my boat for four months. My firstnight out heading south was at Buzzard’s Roost, and severalfriends drove over for one last evening of revelry to say goodbye.It is truly an ’ol style spot of the highest order, especially with theNoisy Oyster on the grounds. It is hard to believe that anythingput there as a replacement can be an improvement. No big hotel,condos, resort—the fanciest and most modern and most expensiveplace man could build could ever be an improvement over theBuzzard’s Roost.
What has mankind done?Editor
COMMENTS ON FRUSTRATED CANADIAN BOATER WHO EXPERIENCED CONFUSING SECURITY PROCEDURESI believe you have one of the best sailing publications inprint. However, I really take exception to the commentsmade by Fred Guptill, in the “Letters” section of theNovember issue. Mr. Guptill, a guest, had the freedom tocome to the United States, stay for almost a year, certainlyenjoyed the freedom of movement and was free to do what-ever his heart desired. There was a requirement, and admit-tedly, he was not always “reporting” as he was required todo. So he had the FREEDOM to leave and he has. Now hehas the same feeling as he had in China and Cuba—and thefeeling that he has been raped. Needless to say, Mr. Guptillshould take his boat and comments and stay out of theUnited States.
Your “political” reply, I believe, does not have a placein a sailing magazine. Your comment, “We have cut taxes,”bothers me. You can always pay more, but I, personally, donot have any interest in a tax increase just so GUESTS of theUnited.States can have an easy transit. Also, your six-yearcomment is a subliminal political message.
It is your publication and you have the freedom towrite whatever you like, and I have the freedom to disagree.That process does not take place in a banana republic.
Raymond Flynn
Raymond,Thank for you comments. You have made some comments herethat will make me think more deeply about future political com-ments in the magazine, as it is a borderline subject, plus you didit with politeness and tact, which goes a long way with me.Thanks for that. I was a political science major in college, though,and can’t resist sometimes. Plus I have this definition of politics:Politics begins when two or more people get together. Hard to keepit out of the magazine, but you are right. There are some thingsthat don’t fit in a sailing magazine, but there are some gray areasin that transition which cross that line.
I don’t agree with you on Mr. Guptill’s experience though.From his letter he did exhibit a fair amount of patience and triedto follow all the rules. Your comments are almost like, “If he does-n’t like it, he doesn’t have to come here and he can leave.” I believe
See LETTERS continued on page 13
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 11
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 13
LETTERS
he is a guest in our country, and we both have duties as guest andhost. He should try to live by our system, and we should be goodhosts and be polite to him. He appears to have tried, but we failedhim on our side. Previously, people coming here legally have beentreated with a fairly efficient system that was polite, consistentand smooth. Foreigners visiting always felt welcome. That hasfallen by the wayside. Yes, we have a new security system thatneeds development, but I think we are doing it on the cheap, justas we maintain our waterways now on the cheap, when, with thiscountry’s wealth, we can do it right, as we did it right for manyyears—most of my life anyway (and I ain’t young anymore). Todo all this while running a serious deficit means we are even far-ther from getting these essentials done right, like how we treatlegal guests with good intentions, and how we maintain ourwaterways. I don’t think it needs to be easy for guests, but itshould be consistent and polite. Otherwise, we shouldn’t be call-ing them guests, but something else. And then we shouldn’t callourselves hosts, but something else. All the times I traveled inEurope, I was treated great as a guest, even in Mexico and otherparts of Latin America. We should at least be treating our visitorslike that. Besides, every foreign guest brings in money, which isgood for the trade deficit, and good will, hopefully.
I think Guptill started with good will when he came into theUnited States and left without it.
My two cents worth anyway. Yes. You are right: I pushed theenvelope about what is appropriate for a sailing magazine, but Idon’t think I tore that envelope open. Maybe I’ll start a blog.
Please see “Short Tacks” in this issue for information from aCoast Guard Auxiliary member who sent in the government listof check-in points and procedures for visiting boaters that Mr.Guptill could not get at the time of his visit.
Editor
CUBA REGATTA PARTICIPANTS FROM 2003 AGAINBEING PROSECUTED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENTJust when you thought it was safe to go racing again, andBam!
I am sure you remember the Conch Republic CupRegatta of May 2003. The regatta included the racers’ bring-ing humanitarian aid to fellow Cuban sailors.
Race organizers Peter Goldsmith and Michele Geslin ofKey West were arrested (shortly after the race) and chargedwith some ridiculous charges like running a travel agencywithout a license.
Several of the race participants were called to testify intheir trial, and all were given immunity. The final outcomeof their trial was a dismissal by the judge hearing the casebecause the government failed to present a solid caseagainst them.
Flash forward three years and guess what? TheDepartment of Commerce, Bureau of Industry, and Securityhave notified not only Peter and Michele but all of the boatcaptains that participated that they are to be charged withEXPORTING their vessels, and acting with knowledge ofsuch offense. I guess Cuba is the only country where youneed an export license just to bring your boat there regard-less of the fact you take it back home when you leave. Justexactly how is that exporting? I know I wasn’t totally awakein all my high school classes, but it seems to me when youexport something, it stays where you exported it to.
Just wanted to let you and your readers know how well
See LETTERS continued on page 14
14 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
our government is working for them. We all had to respondby the first week of December. I am sure we will have a lotmore to tell you about this atrocity before it is concluded.
Any constructive suggestions that you or your readershave would be appreciated.
Wayne LaFleurS/V Eka
Wayne,Thank you for letting us know of this ridiculous waste ofAmerican time and money. I heard from others that they werebeing persecuted, er… prosecuted for being in the 2003 regatta. Ifyou recall, the charges were dropped—or at least a deal was madewith Michele and Peter that they could not discuss—the Fridaybefore the 2004 presidential election that elected the currentadministration that is behind this illegal and unethical prosecu-tion. Is it a surprise that this new prosecution is happening rightafter another election? Not to me. Interesting that the law—basedon the Trading With the Enemy Act—was used to pursue the caseagainst Michele and Peter and was never fully tested in the Cubacase, probably because they know it doesn’t hold any water. Sonow their new tack is they think you were exporting your sail-boats? What bull! I printed in the December issue that govern-ment agents recently said they would use all the “governmentresources” to prosecute those who illegally go to Cuba. Where aretheir priorities? Haven’t they anything better to do?
I repeat what I have said many times in past issues: The U.S.government—or any government—has no right to prosecute cit-izens for visiting other countries. If they consider Cuba an enemy,then declare war on it. These prosecuters are doing what the gov-ernment does when they step beyond their rights and are motivat-ed by some bizarre ideology: They are punishing you without atrial—through intimidation, indictment and harassment. If thatisn’t illegal and immoral, what is? These prosecuters—and allthose who are directing them from higher up on the ladder—should be prosecuted. Have these people no shame?
Persecution is the correct word to use here. It is defined asthe act of persecuting people who have different beliefs from thosedoing the persecuting. Pretty obvious in this case. And sad.
Editor
UNIQUE BOATING GEAR For more information and photos of these items, go towww.southwindsmagazine.com and to the Marine Storepage. All items usually ship within 24-48 hours, FedExground. See product reviews on these items on page 18.
Clip-on Solar Powered LightCharges during the day and runs atnight $24.50 (plus $6 shipping)• Stainless Steel & Weatherproof• Clips on 7/8 or 1” Lifeline
Stanchion or Swim Ladder• Brite-White-Lite for Safe Boarding• Improves Boat Security by
Offering a “Lived In” Look• LED Lighting Does Not Attract
Insects and lasts forever
Life Safer Personal Retriever$129.00 (plus $7 shipping)The Personal Retriever is the only U.S.Coast Guard approved, buoyant,rapid response, multi-use, water andice rescue disk, with 100-foot reach.The Personal Retriever out performsall throwable water-rescue devices. • Throws like a saucer with 100-foot
line attached• Made of floating Polyethylene
Foam, polypropylene base• 11.24 pounds buoyancy• Weighs 1.5 lbs• Deploys in 10 seconds or less
BridgeNorth Boat Hook/Bailer5-foot $46.00 (shipping $6.50)8-foot bailer $56.00 (shipping $7.00)Boat hook, bailer, washer, squirtgun…and moreThe most versatile boat hook available.Stick the end in water, pull the handleback and it is a bailer. Push it back in and it will wash yourboat down or squirt your friends (50 feet easily). Manyother uses including aerating fish buckets.
SOUTHWINDSMARINE STORE
To order, call (941) 795-8704, or (877) 372-7245 with a credit card (orconfirm to mail a check in), or e-mail
To all items and books shipped to Floridalocations, add applicable state and county sales tax. All items can also be picked up in Bradenton, Florida
TO ORDER CALL 877-372-7245
LETTERS
E-mail your letters to the Editor: [email protected]
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 15
NORTHERN GULF COAST Pensacola, FL 43º lo – 61º hiGulfport, MS 43º lo – 61º hiWater Temperature –58º
WEST FLORIDA St. Petersburg 54º lo – 69º hiNaples 53º lo – 75º hiWater TemperatureSt. Petersburg – 62ºNaples – 66º
FLORIDA KEYS Key West 65º lo – 79º hiWater Temperature Key West –69º
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA Miami Beach – 63º lo – 73º hiStuart – 55º lo – 74º hiWater TemperatureMiami Beach – 71ºStuart – 67ºGulfstream Current – 2.4 knots
EAST FLORIDA Daytona Beach - 47º lo – 70º hiJacksonville Beach - 46º lo – 63º hiWater Temperature Daytona Beach – 61ºJacksonville Beach – 57ºGulfstream Current – 2.3 knots
CAROLINAS AND GEORGIACape Hatteras, NC 40º lo – 53º hiSavannah, GA 38º lo – 60º hiWater Temperature Cape Hatteras, NC – 49º
Southeastern U.S. Air & Water Temperaturesand Gulf Stream Currents – JanuaryWeather Web Sites:Carolinas & Georgia www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/Southeast.shtmlFlorida East Coast www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/Florida.shtmlFlorida West Coast & Keys http://comps.marine.usf.eduNorthern Gulf Coast www.csc.noaa.gov/coos/
WIND ROSES: Each wind rose shows the strength and direc-tion of the prevailing winds in the area and month. Thesehave been recorded over a long period of time. In general,the lengths of the arrows indicate how often the winds camefrom that direction. The longer the arrow, the more often thewinds came from that direction. When the arrow is too longto be printed in a practical manner, a number is indicated.
The number in the center of the circle shows the percentageof the time that the winds were calm. The lengths of thearrows plus the calms number in the center add up to 100percent. The number of feathers on the arrow indicates thestrength of the wind on the Beaufort scale (one feather isForce 1, etc.). Wind Roses are taken from Pilot Charts.
16 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 17
The Personal Retriever
If your boat is over 16 feet,you are required to haveready a throwable lifesavingdevice in case someone fallsoverboard. There are manytypes out there and they allhave advantages. But thebest one for throwing a distance is this one, the PersonalRetriever. It is shaped like a Frisbee, but is a Coast Guard-approved Type V PFD. It comes with 100 feet of line. Icouldn’t throw it that far, but nothing I have ever seen canbe thrown even near this far. The line wraps around a spoolon the underside. You unwrap five coils from the device,secure the end to an object or yourself and throw. It fliesbeautifully and easily. Retrieval and rethrow is minutes.Time for training to become an expert: One try.
The Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, lifeguards, boaters andfirst-response teams around the country are carrying andusing the device.
Just don’t let your dog play with it.
$129 www.life\safer.comAvailable in the SOUTHWINDS Marine Store, Page 14
or at www.southwindsmagazine.com.
18 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
The BridgeNorth Bailer: Unique Boat Hook
Boat hooks are essen-tial onboard a boat, butmost of the time theysit there waiting to beused. Now someonehas come up with onethat does a lot more—and it is strongly built.Dip the end in thewater, pull the handleback and you have aloaded gun full ofwater. Pushing thehandle back in createsa powerful stream ofwater. Cleans youranchor, your deck orwhatever else you like.Get the bird crap off.When your friends gettoo close sailing by,you’ve got a greatsquirt gun that fires 50feet easy.
As a bailer, you canpump out yourdinghy, your bilge orwhatever else needswater removed. Youcan walk around with the water and pump it elsewhere.Comes five-feet and eight-feet long—extended lengths.Five-footer is great for the dinghy.
Not only that, it locks in place and can be used as a boathook.
5-footer $46 8-footer $56Available in the SOUTHWINDS Marine Store, Page 14
or at www.southwindsmagazine.com.
SOUTHWINDS PRODUCT REVIEWSRecently SOUTHWINDS started offering products to sell. At the St. Petersburg Strictly Boat Show, I found some unique
products and I liked them so much, I decided I would start selling them (see page 14). They are reviewed here.
LED Lights Warning!LED Lights for Navigation Lights CanPut Out the Wrong Color if notChosen CorrectlyPaul L. Marcuzzo of FourwindsEnterprises, a company that sells windgenerators and LED lights to boaters,recently noted that some boaters have mis-takenly been buying LED lights toinstall behind their green-colored lensnavigation light. White LED lights behinda green lens will appear as a blue light. TheLED light itself must be green if it is behind a green lens toput out a green light.
■ RACING EVENTS
For racing schedules, news and events see the racing section.
■ UPCOMING SOUTHERN EVENTS
EDUCATIONAL/TRAINING/SUMMERCAMPS
Ongoing – Boating Skills and SeamanshipPrograms. St. Petersburg, FLTuesday nights, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 19
EVENTS & NEWS OF INTEREST TO SOUTHERN SAILORSTo have your news or event in this section, contact [email protected].
Send us information by the 5th of the month preceding publication. Contact us if later.
CONTRIBUTE TO SOUTHWINDSWRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS WANTED
SOUTHWINDS is always looking for articles and photoson various subjects about sailing (cruising and racing),our Southern waters, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Formore information, see page 6, or go to our Web site,www.southwindsmagazine.com, or e-mail [email protected].
20 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
Satisfies the Florida boater safety education requirements.Eleven lessons, every Tuesday. Boating Skills andSeamanship Programs, are presented bythe U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary,Flotilla 72 each Tuesday night,7:30-9:30pm, 1300 Beach Dr. SE,St. Petersburg. Lessons include:which boat for you, equip-ment, trailering, lines andknots, boat handling, signs, weather, rules, introduction tonavigation, inland boating and radio. (727) 823-3753. Don’twait until next summer to have your children qualify for astate of Florida boater safety ID, possibly lower your BoatersInsurance premium or just hone your safe boating skills.
Boating Safety Courses, St. Petersburg, FLSt. Petersburg Sail and Power Squadron. Six-week publicboating course begins every Monday. Includes safetyinformation plus basic piloting; charts, course plotting,latitude/longitude and dead reckoning. Satisfies Florida’sunder age 21 boater requirements. (727) 867-3088. Othercourses continuosly offered. (727) 565-4453. www.boat-ing-stpete.org.
Clearwater Coast Guard Auxiliary (Flotilla 11-1) Public Boating ProgramsAmericas Boating Course (2 lessons on a weekend). Jan. 6-7. Americas Boating Course (3 evening lessons): Jan. 6-7.GPS and Chart Reading: Feb. 12-15. Clearwater SailingCenter, 1001 Gulf Blvd., Sand Key (Clearwater). Open toadults and youths. Seven lessons. Evenings
For more information on upcoming education pro-grams or to request a free vessel safety check, call (727) 469-8895 or visit www.a0701101.uscgaux.info.
Ruskin, FL, Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 75 Offers Home Study Safe Boating CourseThe Ruskin flotilla each month offers a boating safetycourse in Ruskin, but has found that many boaters do nothave the time to attend the courses, so they are now alsooffering a home study course at $30. Additional familymembers will be charged $10 each for testing and certifi-
cates. Tests will be held bi-monthly. Entry into the coursewill also allow participants to attend the classes. To apply,
call (813) 677-2354.
North Carolina MaritimeMuseum, Beaufort, NCOn going adults sailing pro-grams. Family sailing. 2-6 people;2-6 hours. Traditional skiffs or 30’
keelboat. $50-$240. www.ncmm-friends.org, [email protected], (252) 728-7317. Reservations/information: callThe Friends’ office (252) 728-1638
Two Popular Sailing Symposiums to be Held in New Orleans, January 17-21. See “Racing” Section, page 48 for more.
International Marina and Boatyard Conference, Tampa, FL, Jan. 28-31Organizers of the 2007 International Marina and BoatyardConference (IMBC), to be held Jan. 28-31 at the TampaConvention Center in Tampa, FL, say early registrationnumbers are triple those reported last year.
Throughout the three-day conference, nearly 600 atten-dees from throughout the world can choose from a dozenseminars, roundtable discussions and panels. The show floorremains open throughout the conference. The conference isrun jointly by the Association of Marina Industries (AMI) andthe American Boat Builders and Repairers Association.
The show is the only show specifically for marina own-ers, managers and staff, as well as boat repairers. Seminars,roundtable discussions, and talks will highlight the show.Attendees will hear from experts on several topics includ-ing, “Healthcare Options and Opportunities,” “MarinaRetrofit, Redesign and Construction,” boating access andcontract legality. The show floor, which remains open forthe duration of the conference, will feature a variety ofproducts, some of which are new.
For more information and to register, call (401)252–9544, or click on the logo at the AMI Web site:www.MarinaAssociation.org. The conference agenda is list-ed on the Web site.
US SAILING Judge Training and Certification Program.New Orleans, LA. February 24-25. See “Racing”section,”page 48 for more.
■ BOAT SHOWS
Houston International Boat, Sport andTravel Show. Jan. 5-14Houston, TX.www.houstonboatshows.com. ReliantCenter. (713) 552-1055
New Orleans Boat Show. Jan. 10-14Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Halls G, H, I, J. 900Convention Center Blvd. New Orleans, LA. (504) 780-1818.www.neworleansboatshow.com.
Austin Boat Show. Jan. 11-14Austin Convention Center. Bring the whole family to thelargest boating event of the year featuring over 200 vendorsand boat dealers. Thursday and Friday, 12 pm-9 pm.Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. $8 for adults,seniors over 65 and children 10 and under are $4. Children 6and under are free. Visit www.austinboatshow.com formore information.
Atlanta Boat Show. Jan 10-14Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA. NMMA. (954) 441-3228. www.atalantaboatshow.com.
33rd Annual Stuart Boat Show. Jan. 12-14Stuart, FL. www.miatc.com/boatshows.htm.
Charlotte County Boat Show, Jan. 25-28Charlotte County Fairgrounds, Port Charlotte, FL. (954) 570-7785.www.fortmyersboatshow.com/charlotte_show.htm.
San Antonio Boat Show. January 25-28.At the Alamodome. Bring the whole family to the largestboating event of the year featuring over 150 vendors andboat dealers. Thursday and Friday, 12 p.m.-9p.m. Friday, 12p.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m.-6p.m. $8 for adults, seniors over 65 and children 10 andunder are $4. Children 6 and under are free. Visitwww.sanantonioboatshow.com for more information.
Charleston Boat Show. Jan. 26-28Charleston Convention Center, Charleston, SC. (843) 3648491.www.marinesource.com/Boat_Shows/charleston_boat_show.cfm.
Strictly Sail Miami Boat Show. Feb. 15-19The Strictly Sail Miami boat show is part of the greaterMiami International Boat Show and is held at the
Miamarina in downtown Miami. It runs from Thursday,Feb. 15, through Monday, Feb. 19. Show hours are from 10a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and admission to the show givesadmission to other locations of the Miami show. Among
the many multihulls and monohulls present, the showalso includes the largest selection of catamarans
of any boat show.Programs include Kids Aboard Boat
Building Workshop (free), free sailingtrips through Discover Sailing, and freedaily seminars.
Tickets can be bought online atwww.miamiboatshow.com. Tickets onThursday (10 a.m.-6 p.m.), Feb. 15,
Premier Day, are $28. Cost of tickets Feb. 16-19, Friday through Monday (10 a.m.-6 p.m.), are $15, free forchildren 12 and under (with adult). Youth tickets $6, ages13-15. Adult two-day (Feb 16-19) passes are available for$26. All tickets include entry to all locations of the MiamiInternational Boat Show.
■ OTHER EVENTS
Key West Race Week, Jan. 15-19The biggest sailboat regatta in North America. For a pre-view of the regatta, see the ”Racing” section, page 48.
■ NEWS
Cuba Regatta Participants From2003 Again Being Prosecuted by the U.S. GovernmentSOUTHWINDS recently received a letter from one of the cap-tains who was in the Conch Republic Cup Regatta from KeyWest to Cuba in June 2003 (see “Letters” in this issue) andwho wrote that he received a letter from the Department ofCommerce that it will be charging him and the other cap-
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 23
24 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 25
tains who participated in the regatta with 15 CFR 764.2(a),exporting a vessel and 15 CFR 764.2(e), acting withknowledge of violation.
For those who do not remember or do notknow, in June of 2003, the Third AnnualConch Republic Cup, organized by PeterGoldsmith and Michele Geslin of KeyWest, raced to Cuba under govern-ment licensing that at first was consid-ered legal by participants and govern-ment officials. At a party the night beforethe start, Department of Commerce offi-cials announced that the regatta was actinglegally. But the following morning, U.S. Coast Guardrepresentatives came to the departure point and took pho-tos of all the boats. Upon returning to the United States,government agents on Coast Guard boats boarded the raceboats and confiscated papers, GPS units, cruising guides,gifts from Cubans, cameras, film and other miscellaneousitems. They showed and left copies of warrants allowingthem to do this. Boat owners never received a list of seizedproperty. (The article about the regatta and dealings withthe U.S. government—written by race organizer PeterGoldsmith—can be viewed in the “Back Issues” pages onthe Southwinds Web site, www.southwindsmagazine.com inthe July 2003 issue.)
Later, Peter Goldsmith and Michele Geslin were indictedunder the Trading With the Enemy Act. They went throughover a year of harassment and investigations before the gov-ernment dropped the charges against them. The financial andpersonal cost to them was devastating. The trial date was setfor the week after the 2004 presidential elections. Chargeswere dropped on the Friday before the election under anagreement where Peter and Michele were not allowed to dis-cuss the deal made with the government. The Trading Withthe Enemy Act, although used by the federal governmentthrough indictments and many times as a threat, has neverbeen tested, as charges under the law in regards to travelingto Cuba have always been dropped before the cases wereallowed to go to court—after months of investigations andharassment by the government of the individuals indicted.
The current impending charges against the captains ofthe boats that were in the regatta are under a differ-
ent law accusing the boaters of illegally export-ing their boats to Cuba, even though they allsailed them back.
Last month, SOUTHWINDS reported thatthe U.S. government had recently reiterated, inreferring to people who are considering or who
have recently traveled to or traded withCuba, that they would use “all the
resources” of the federal government toenforce commerce laws.
The letter writer in the “Letters”section has left his e-mail in a call for
help from readers.
Low Water Level in LakeOkeechobee Causing Damage(From a letter received from Kimberly Grant)
I wanted to get some information to you about theOkeechobee Waterway. In anticipation of hurricanes(which fortunately didn’t materialize) the water level islower than normal. As a result, many boats have been get-ting damaged. A close look at chart 11428 shows that themagenta line is quite close to the south side of the channel,and this is critical to follow when the water level is so low.Despite the appearance of a wide channel, the actualdredged channel is much narrower.
While this should be followed for the whole route, theproblem seems particularly bad around MM 73. The yardwhere we store our boat is located about 15 miles west ofthis, and apparently over a dozen boats have made unex-pected stops there to repair damage in the past few months.One couple I met, with years of boating experience, was ontheir brand-new 40-plus Sea Ray and, as a result of theircollision with rocks, they lost both props, their shafts andtheir transmissions exploded into pieces. Their towing billwas $6400. If you could put a mention of this, it might helpa few boats make it safely through.
26 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
Fishermen’s Village Yacht Basin inPunta Gorda Reopens Nov. 30Fishermen’s Village and Yacht Basin closed on May 30,2003, due to structural problems on the 25-year-old docks.In addition, the water depth in the basin was shallow dueto years of silt deposits, and it could no longer handledeep-draft vessels. Permitting (state and federal) took twoyears, which is not unusual, since Fishermen’s Village islocated in Charlotte Harbor, a Florida “Special Aquatic Site”and an EPA-designated “National Estuary.” Construction(dredging) actually began on January 30, 2006. HurricaneCharley did its share of damage in August 2004. The cost ofthe entire project, including engineering, is in the millions ofdollars. The construction consisted of dredging to the orig-inal depth when the basin was created (ranging from -7.5feet to -3.0 feet at mean low water). Material in excess of20,000 cubic yards was dredged.
A second aspect of the project was the demolition ofthe old docks and replacing them with prefabricatedcement structures. A third aspect was the construction ofa new fuel dock, relocated parallel to the shore in the westbasin. Associated with this was the installation of twonew underground fuel tanks, each 12,000 gallons (one gasand one diesel).
The final aspect of reconstruction was the replacementof pilings, dock boxes, trash boxes, cleats, fire mains, electri-cal pedestals, potable water stands, and safety ladders. Therestroom/shower/laundry facility and the marinaoffice/ships store were all upgraded as they were severelydamaged by Hurricane Charley.
The yacht basin has a total of 111 permanent slips, ofwhich 97 are available for public use, and approximately 31
temporary docking areas for day use ofboaters visiting shops and restaurants.There is a new dinghy dock for use ofboats, which anchor in the harbor andwish to use our facilities such as the pool,laundry, etc. ValvTect marine grade gasand diesel is available at the fuel dock.These fuels are specially formulated toenhance engine performance, prevent
bacteria growth, and improve fuel stability. The fuel dockhas a wastewater holding tank pump-out facility. Also forsale at the dock are engine oils, frozen bait, ice, soft drinksand snacks, plus the new ships store sells general boatingmerchandise and a line of boating wearing apparel.
The address is: Fishermen’s Village Yacht Basin, 1200 W.Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda, FL 33950. The harbormaster isJim Branch, and he can be contacted at (941) 575-3000.
There is an excellent Web site on the village and themarina at www.fishville.com.
Regata del Sol al Sol, St. Petersburgto Mexico Regatta, Announces New2007 FeaturesThe 39th Annual Regata del Sol al Sol, hosted by the St.Petersburg Yacht Club, is again getting a large number ofentrees this year. New changes announced recently were thenew tracking units that will be placed on each boat at noextra cost—they will be included in the entry fees. The unitsthis year are also totally automatic and require no userinterface for reporting, adding an additional safety feature.The units track the race position of each boat, and viewerscan see the location of the boats online as they cross the Gulfto Mexico. The tracking units will be supplied by a compa-ny that supplied them for the 73 boats that raced in theChicago-Mackinac race last July. Deposits will be required,but they are 100 percent refundable if the units are returnedundamaged after the race.
Reduced entry fees for the race are available to all whosign up by March 15. To register using the online form andfor more information, go to the regatta Web site atwww.regatadelsolalsol.org.
Festivities for the regatta start on Thursday, April 26,with registration, seminars and a pre-race party at the St.Petersburg Yacht Club. All sailors are invited. The race beginsthe following day on April 27 off the St. Petersburg Pier. Boatsare all expected to be in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, by May 1. Thefirst regatta event on the island is on Wednesday, May 2, witha beach party, mayor’s reception and street dance and party.The following day is the rum and Coke party and traditionalbasketball game. On Friday, the last event day, is the always-fun Amigos regatta, which takes local kids sailing on theregatta boats. That is followed by the awards dinner.
The race organizers are always looking for additionalsponsors. To sponsor, go to the Web site, or contact raceorganizers Mike Boom at [email protected], or LarryWissing at [email protected].
Fishermen’s Village and Yacht Basin in Punta Gorda, FL. The marina is on the right andthe transient day visitors’ docks are at the end of the village pier on the left.
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 27
Changes in Bahamian Fishing/Lobstering LawsSOUTHWINDS received an e-mail from Maribel Penichet,onboard Paper Moon, about reading in a Bahamian newspa-per, the Nassau Guardian, of the following new laws govern-ing fishing and the taking of lobster in the Bahamas.
The new laws will go into effect in early 2007, and theBahamian government says they will have little effect ontourists, because tourists are generally accustomed to fish-ing under regulations limiting their takings.
Visitors to the islands will no longer be allowed to keepsix crayfish (lobster to the layman) per person, but the limitwill now be six crayfish per boat. There will also be a newlimit on demersal fish—grouper, snapper, etc.—which willnow have a limit of 20 pounds per boat, where previouslythe limit was 20 pounds per person. A ban on catchingconch will also be in effect for visitors. Pelagic species—dol-phins, kingfish, wahoo, tuna—will also have the limitreduced from six per person to six per boat.
There will also be a new requirement that all fish bekept with their head and tail intact for inspection and iden-tification by authorities later. This is while the fish is on the
boat or being transported by air. Exceptions for these rules will be made for fishing tour-
naments. Rules will be posted around the islands at marinasand other locations frequented by visitors.
Comments were also made by the government aboutcontinued enforcement of illegal poaching by foreign ves-sels, stating that one boat took 35,000 pounds of seafood inone five-day trip.
West Wind Sails Joins Ullman Sales GroupUllman Sails International announced recently that WestWind Sails in Mandeville, LA, (a New Orleans suburb) hasjoined the Ullman Sails group. Owners Julie and DaveBolyard recently celebrated West Wind’s 25th anniversarywith their prominent full-service Gulf Coast sail loft enjoy-ing a clientele that includes offshore and one-design cham-pions, world cruisers, and local recreational sailors. Thestaff includes their son David and other journeymen sail-makers with years of experience. Ullman Sails-Gulf Coastcontact information can be found in the “Loft Locator” sec-tion of the Ullman Sails Web site at www.ullmansails.com.
28 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
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30 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
OUR WATERWAYS
Florida Cruisers Get Anchoring Warnings: Contact Us to Publicize WarningsNote from the Editor
On the right is a letter we received from a group of cruisers who received a warningabout anchoring restrictions in Marco Island. In the November issue, we published
information about a new state law that went into effect on July 1 limiting communities’power to limit anchoring restrictions to non-liveaboard cruisers. Go to the SOUTHWINDSWeb site, www.southwindsmagazine.com for this information). Since we published thatinformation, I have received several e-mails and telephone calls telling me about cruisersgetting warnings from local law enforcement officials in Marco Island, Miami Beach, andGulfport. In some cases, the officers have been polite and in others, they have not been.Cruisers can contact the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) lawyerswho will send a letter to these communities telling them about the state law. Go to our Website for a copy of this letter and contact information—or call us at (877) 372-7245. This lawhas not yet been tested in courts and perhaps someone will, but we at least need to havethe letters sent to every community that ignores this law.
Steve Morrell
Our Waterways SectionSOUTHWINDS has createdthis section to inform ourreaders about changes inour waterways. We are allin the midst of greatchange—through the con-version of many boatingproperties to condomini-ums, restrictions on anchor-ages, and other economicforces at work.
Our coastal watersand our waterways belongto all of us, and all of ushave a right to use them.These waters are not justfor those who live on thewater, and it is up to usboaters and lovers of thesewaters to protect that right.We hope that by helpingto inform you of thesechanges, we will con-tribute to doing just that.
We are looking fornews and information onchanges, land sales, anchor-ages, boaters’ rights, newmarinas, anchoring rights,disappearing marinas, boat-yards and boat ramps,environmental concernsand other related news.Contact Steve Morrell, [email protected], or call (941) 795-8704
OLD FLORIDAOR
NEW FLORIDA?
On November 14, six vessels (five sail, one power) fromthe Cape Coral Sailing Club anchored in Factory Bay,
Marco Island, FL. Approximately one hour after all vesselswere anchored, a Marco Island police/fire vessel enteredthe anchorage to inform all of us that the city council ofMarco Island had passed an ordinance that all anchoredboats must submit to a “safety inspection,” head inspec-tion and produce a driver’s license for all persons aboardthe vessel.
The police/fire official stated that a homeowner livingnear the anchorage had lobbied the city council for sevenyears and finally prevailed. We were informed that wewould be boarded every 24 hours that we remained in theanchorage. We questioned the need for a “safety inspec-tion” every 24 hours as we would remain anchored forseveral days. The response was the city had given permis-sion for us to be boarded as frequently as the police/firewater officials deemed necessary but at least every 24hours. The gentleman did express that the department didnot necessarily support this action, but that they now hadno choice but to enforce the ordinance. This would havemeant that all cruisers had to be aboard their vessels at thissame time each day. If we were ashore spending money intheir city, they could board our vessels without our beingpresent. Obviously, many of us moved our vessels ratherthan submit to this harassment.
I phoned the Marco River Marina and spoke with thedockmaster, who stated that he was not aware of this ordi-nance. He was under the impression that the only restric-tion was the old three-day anchoring rule. I informed him ofour visit from the city police/fire boat.
I told the dockmaster that all six boats had planned tostay for three nights and spend money at the marina shipstore, fuel dock, and dinghy tie-up. We also planned to buyitems at Ace Hardware and have meals in at least two localrestaurants. He responded with significant concern and saidthat he felt this was simply harassment. I suggested that hebring this concern up at his next Chamber of Commerce
meeting, and he stated that he would do that as well as con-tacting “the right people” in the city.
The questions that we have about this “safety inspec-tion” and surrender of our drivers’ licenses are:
1. Is this legal? What gives a municipal worker the rightto board us?
2. If a safety issue was identified, what would the cityemployee be able to do? Under whose authority?
3. Is it legal for the municipality to run a backgroundcheck on boaters who have done nothing but anchortheir vessels?
We figured that conservatively speaking our groupwould have spent upwards of $1,000 for fuel, supplies,food, etc. Please advise us as to what, if anything, we shoulddo to follow up with this problem of harassment at MarcoIsland, FL.
Jill and Leo StanleySturdy Beggar
Cape Coral, FL
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 31
Cape Coral Cruisers Get Warning About Anchoring in Marco Island(The following letter was sent to several recipients, including the NMMA and SOUTHWINDS.)
Are cruisers becoming unwelcome in Florida’s anchorages? St. Petersburg (above) still welcomes them, but many Florida cities are tellingthem to leave.
Whether or not a marina dockominium is on leasedstate land is the single most significant distinctiona buyer should make when considering a docko-
minium slip purchase. This is a distinction that appliesspecifically to a wet slip, the type of berths preferred by sail-boat owners.
A dockominium marina can exist in several ways. Oneis in a man-made basin dug from “uplands” adjacent to awaterway. The slip can be owned outright just like dryproperty because it is not part of Florida’s submerged lands.This type of ownership can be different in each case, and thepotential buyer is well-advised to investigate closely theterms of the agreement, heeding the advice of a lawyer andan accountant.
Another more common case exists when a dockomini-um marina is built on leased state lands. In this case, thedockominium slip is essentially a sublease with, in Florida’scase, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP),establishing the fundamental conditions for the lease.(There are exceptions in a few areas of Florida—such as nearSt. Augustine, in Pensacola Bay and in specific areas of the
Keys—where bottomlands may notbe owned by the state. Special provi-sions for leasing or owning bottom-land then apply.)
The State Bottomland Lease Buyers considering a dockominiummarina slip purchase should knowthat the usual term of a bottomlandlease for a marina is five years withthe opportunity for renewal. Whendevelopers of the Whitley BayMarina in Cocoa, FL, in BrevardCounty (now named Cocoa VillageMarina), announced plans to offerequity ownership, they requested a25-year lease from the state. Theyreceived the extension, and thatdecision resulted in rule changes as
presently defined in Florida Statutes 18-21. Provisions for anextended lease, a condition that is most appealing to docko-minium marina buyers, must pass the following criteria in astate review:
1) “Any application for term greater than 10 years mustbe reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office to deter-mine whether it should be considered by the Board ofTrustees under heightened public concern.”2) “The applicant demonstrates that an extended termis necessary to satisfy unique operational constraints.”3) “Extended term leases must be authorized by theBoard of Trustees (Governor and Cabinet).”
The cabinet’s decision on Whitley Bay suggests that offeringequity ownership sufficiently demonstrates a “unique oper-ational constraint,” to justify the cabinet’s permissive deci-sion, even in the face of overwhelming public concern.What is not clear in the decision and new rules is whetheran extended lease initially will enable an easy extendedrenewal, something that additionally enhances equity own-ership by conferring stability and predictability.
Florida’s lease fee requirements should also bereviewed by potential buyers. The lease fee is adjustedannually by the state and is payable at the beginning of thelease term. More significantly, the state assesses a six per-cent fee on income derived from the slip. Florida’s defini-tion is broad: “Income shall be the gross receipts derivedfrom the rental, lease, sublease, license or other transactioninvolving tenancy of wet slips.” According to Doug Fry andAlice Heathcock with the DEP in Tallahassee, “other trans-
32 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
One Dockominium Owner’s ExperienceMike Huff at the Conch House Marina in St. Augustinegave an example of how dockominium ownership hasworked out for one owner: “He lives aboard in his slipfor six months, and cruises for the other six months.He’s never had to write a check for his monthly pay-ment—the income he gets from renting it for sixmonths covers him year around.”
OUR WATERWAYS
Will your local marina be converted to dockominiums? What would that mean?
Dockominiums Part II,Advantages and Disadvantages and Some Legal Issues Buyers Should KnowBy Roy Laughlin
actions” include sale of the equity ownership plan. This isessentially saying that sales taxes apply to financial transac-tions of these slips, including sale of the equity ownershipplan. (The fee structure is more complex than discussedhere so that a potential buyer should read all portions of FS18-21, or have a lawyer or accountant provide additionaladvice as desired.)
Note also that property taxes will also likely beassessed for dockominium slips. Furthermore, annualincreases may not be capped, depending on the propertyclassification. If the dockominium complex is classified ascommercial, as is Cocoa Village Marina, the increases can behuge. If the slip cost $80,000, ad valorem taxes in BrevardCounty will be over $1000 per year.
State policies on submerged land leases place funda-mental boundaries on the terms of a dockominium marinalease. The next most important issue to a buyer will be thespecific terms of the purchase from the developer or slipowner. As mentioned above, both condominium law andcontract law may apply to the contract’s provisions. Onespecific case is often termed, “equity ownership.” In thiscase, fee payment to a marina development company enti-tles a boat owner to use of a designated slip for the durationof the marina’s lease from the state. If the owner leaves theslip vacant, the marina management company will rent itand divide the rental with the slip “owner.” Whitley BayMarina offers an equity membership plan that will last for25 years, the duration of the recently negotiated lease of thesite from the state. According to Tony James, with BrevardCounty’s property appraiser’s office, this property is classi-fied for tax purposes as commercial, not “condominium,” asone might suspect the shared ownership plan to imply.
Are Dockominiums Assets or Investments?Equity ownership plans tout dual benefits: convenience/certainty of dockage and investment opportunity. Somebuyers will be primarily interested in obtaining a suitableberth for a boat without the worry of a short-term lease thatexpires. The other heavily marketed ownership category isthe investor. In the recent past, marina slips in residentialcondominium complexes have risen with the general rise inproperty values. In some cases, values have quadrupled ormore in a bit more than a decade. It remains to be seen if thevalue of dockominium slips will continue to rise in the faceof a cooling market.
For the boat owner intending to use the slip, conven-ience and continuity are significant advantages justifying adockominium marina slip purchase. The cost of ownership,however, will be, at a minimum, a function of Florida’sannual lease cost. The price will increase each year. It isbased on an average of the consumer price index from thepreceding five years and will not increase more than 10 per-
cent in any single year (Florida Statutes 18-21). The sale contract will likely set criteria for changes in
the management fees. Diversity of these contracts makesgeneralizations impossible. A perusal of ads suggests thatmost new dockominium marinas will charge $200 and upfor management or association fees.
The following calculation may put a $200 per month feeinto perspective. After the hurricanes in 2004, many river-front property owners in Brevard County rebuilt docks thatwere suitable for sailboats. Suitability consisted of sufficientlength to reach six-foot depths and other structural require-ments for tying off a 30-foot sailboat. A typical constructionprice was approximately $30,000. Most docks typically last15 years before a storm tears them apart sufficiently torequire replacement. Amortized over 180 months (15 years),or 240 months (20 years), the monthly cost of the dock is$167 and $120, respectively. This simple calculation makesthe unreasonable assumption that no other maintenancecosts will occur in 15 to 20 years, but these estimates are use-ful as a basis for comparison. Note that a waterfront prop-erty owner does not pay lease fees to the state. So, while thelower end of the fees listed are higher than a simple calcu-lation of private dock ownership by waterfront propertyownership, it is consistent with the additional costsincurred. According to Dave Huff of the Conch HouseResort in St. Augustine, equity boat slip ownership is agood deal if you want to keep a boat in the water. “It’s get-ting harder and harder to find a boat slip…[a boater] shouldsecure something now.”
It is far more difficult to predict that dockominiummarina slips purchased in 2006 will appreciate as signifi-cantly in the coming decade as they have in the past one.Like property in general, dockominiums have been appreci-ating in price greatly in the past few years of Florida’s run-away real estate boom. Two examples are the Conch HouseMarina Resort in St. Augustine, FL. This marina sold its first
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 33
Muncipal marinas like the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina will probably never become dockominiums. Or will they?
34 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
OUR WATERWAYS
slip about 12 years ago for $15,000 for a 40-foot boat. Lastyear’s sale prices have reached $120,000 or about $3,000 perfoot. That marina is now asking over $5,000 per foot for aslip, and they are selling at that price. According to MikeHuff, marina manager at the Conch House Marina, the mar-ket may be fully priced. Another marina in St. Augustine isoffering equity ownership at over $7,000 per foot, and thoseslips seem to be selling slowly if at all. The proposedSebastian River Yacht Club and Marina on the Indian Riverin southern Brevard County lists on its Internet sites a rateof $3500 per foot for boats from 26 to 62 feet. The mostexpensive slip is for up to a 48-foot catamaran at $262,000 or$5250 per foot. These prices illustrate that market values arestrongly influenced by the local conditions and that scarcityis a dominant factor influencing fundamental value. Itappears the high appreciation enjoyed by earlier buyers atthe Conch House Marina Resort may not be repeated in thenew millennium’s softening market.
In order to improve the investment potential of equityslip ownership, some marina developers have a policy ofrenting a slip on a first-come, first-serve basis while theslip’s owner leaves it vacant. The owner shares in the sliprental proceeds. A buyer considering a slip purchase as aninvestment should realize that in most cases, the buyer isthe lowest level of a monetary food chain. The state (if theproperty is on submerged lands) and the management com-pany will take their share first, and contractual agreementsmay give the owner very little bargaining ability. Dramaticincreases in business property insurance costs and taxes area red-hot-button issue in Florida now, and the solution isstill not evident. At least in the next few years, an investorwould be wise not to expect any net rental income from aslip, and probably not even enough to pay annual expenses.This is a dramatic change in the dozen years since equitymarina slip ownership started to become commonly avail-able. A buyer should consult an accountant and a lawyerbefore buying one as an investment to obtain an opinionabout the potential of the slip to meet investment goals.
Dockominium leases and agreements are relativelynew in the overall scheme of things. Even though the con-cept has been around for decades, it is only in the past 10years or so that they have grown substantially as an alterna-tive to the traditional marina. As with many new concepts,one can expect changes and evolution in how these owner-ship plans will be structured in the coming years.
Do Dockominiums Hurt or Enhance Public Access to Waterways?Promoters hail dockominiums as the solution to vanishingavailability of slips. Clearly, the costs involved put the reg-ular wage-earner out to sea in terms of participation in own-
ership or investment opportuni-ties. The price per square foot of amarina slip is perhaps three timesthat of typical residential con-
struction. Lenders do offer loans for slip purchase but typi-cally require a 20 percent down payment, a substantial networth, and cash flow in order to qualify.
Critics say the conversion of existing marinas to expen-sive dockominiums is no different in its effect on publicaccess to waterways than is the conversion of a marina to aresidential condominium dock. Dockominium marinadevelopers consistently maintain that their buyers are theboating public, too. They also point out that they offervacant slips for public rental for periods ranging fromovernight to several months. Dave Huff of the Conch Housecomments that as far as a visiting boater is concerned, stay-ing in an equity ownership marina is little different fromstaying in a traditional marina. The marina managementpersonnel collect money for the rental, maintain the facili-ties and provide any desired services such as holding tankpump-outs, refueling and docking assistance. They saydockominium conversion is conserving to some extentavailable slips for non-waterfront property owners. This isdifferent from the situation where a developer buys a pub-lic access marina, builds condominiums associated with itand then makes those slips only available to the condomini-um owners—keeping out the general public.
One of the main advantages—and perhaps one of themain causes of marinas converting to dockominiums (orbeing built as)—is the assurance that the marina owner (nowa manager) will no longer be totally financially responsiblefor damage to marinas from tropical storms. The marinaowner will no longer have to concern himself with where themoney will come from to rebuild, repair or replace docks orhow much slip fees will increase to cover these costs, as thedockominium owners will share these expenses.
A reasonable interpretation of both arguments is thatscarcity of public slips of any kind is driving up prices, andthose prices are excluding the public based on disposableincome. Boat slip numbers in any category have notincreased in proportion to overall population growth. Therising price of equity slip ownership is not a force that ismaking public access more expensive. The rising cost ofthese slips is a function of the increasing costs imposed bypoor growth management decisions in rapidly expandingwaterfront communities. Dockominiums do provide stableavailability of boat-berthing for that segment of the boatingpublic that wishes to and is able to afford the cost. For thosewho can’t afford it, more affordable and abundant optionsneed to be developed. Perhaps mooring fields are one ofthose alternatives, but it will be a few more years before asignificant number will be available in central Florida. Inthe short-term, perhaps a decade, dockominiums will likelybe an increasingly popular way to assure waterway accessfor those who can still afford boating as a lifestyle.
The Isla del Sol Marina in St.Petersburg—still a public marinawhere slips are available for rentif you join a club.
S tep inside the nine-footprivacy fence that sur-rounds the Spirit of South
Carolina at AnsonboroughField, and you’ll be astoundedat the level of activity occur-ring around this historic tallship on any given day. Frommorning ’til evening, the saw-dust-strewn shipyard is liter-ally humming with wood-workers, shipwrights, andsystems specialists, all plyingtheir trades in a collaborativeeffort to bring this traditional140-foot sailing vessel to life.
”We’ve made a lot ofprogress recently,” explainedBrad Van Liew, executivedirector of the South CarolinaMaritime Foundation, theorganization responsible forbuilding this ship, “and nowwe’re at the stage where manythings are happening concurrently, and they’re happeningquickly, too.”
According to Van Liew, some 12 to 20 workers are on-site each day. Among them are three caulking specialistswho were imported expressly to finish the seams betweenthe planks on the Spirit’s hull. Like most of the construction
on this traditional ship, thecaulking process is takingplace just as it would have ona wooden ship 150 years ago.
Caulking traditionallyinvolves stuffing each seamwith a combination of yarnand oakum, using an invertedwedge or caulking iron and abroad mallet. It’s a very grad-ual process, easily identifiedby the rhythmic falls of themallets. If all goes accordingto plan on the Spirit, the mate-rial filling up the seams willultimately be nearly as hardas the planks around it.
Capt. Tony Arrow, whowill be the vessel’s masterwhen the Spirit is launchednext spring, is overseeing theconstruction. According to
Capt. Arrow, these caulkers—Joe Chetwynd of Pembroke,MA, Donald Taube of Wilmington, NC, and Chris Nelsonfrom Westport, CT—are among a handful of shipbuilders inthe country who really excel at this specific task. “Not onlyare these three very proficient at this work,” he says,“they’re quick as well.”
36 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
Work on theSpirit of South Carolina
at All Time High
Van Liew affirms thatthis particular bit of out-sourcing will definitely payfor itself. “The people we’reusing to caulk the ship havesaved us 600 skilled ship-wright hours.”
Other aspects of theship’s construction aremoving along at a similarlyimpressive pace. Arrow ishappy to report that thefirst of the vessel’s twomassive Cummins dieselengines has been installed,thanks to a generous dona-tion from the company. Theteak decking of the ship iscomplete. Additionally, allof the watertight bulk-heads—the “walls” thatseparate one section of theship from another—are alsocomplete. And all of thelead for the keel and theinterior ballast is in place.
“At the moment,”explains Arrow, “we’ve gotpeople working on the inte-rior cabinetry, the decking, the second engine installation andother support systems, and the rudder and the carvings.”Mark Bayne and his Sea Island Boatworks crew have alsopainted the upper portion of the hull (called the topsides)with a coat of white primer. “So,” Arrow says, “not only is theSpirit beginning to look more like a ship on the outside, butshe’s really becoming one on the inside as well.”
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 37
In the coming weeks,the activity at the Spirit ofSouth Carolina shipyard willcontinue apace. The ship-wrights will finish the deckhouses, the caulking, andthe carvings. After that,they’ll concentrate on theelectrical systems, the ves-sel’s galley, and the rigging.The shipyard is open to thepublic on Saturday andSunday from 12:00 noon to5:00 p.m.
The Spirit of SouthCarolina will be a dynamicplatform for experientialeducation. Dedicated to theyouth and educators of thePalmetto State, this 140-footclassic sailing vessel willteach individuals to care forthemselves, their shipmatesand their environment. Thecore curriculum will focuson math and science, withpossible extensions intohumanities and history.Voyages will range fromdockside visits, to sails rang-
ing in length from one day to multi-week programs.Professional development opportunities will be offered toeducators. Learn more about the Spirit and the SouthCarolina Maritime Foundation at www.scmaritime.org.
This article and photos are courtesy of the South CarolinaMaritime Foundation.
The Spirit of South Carolina.
The bowsprit.
38 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
TRAVELS WITH ANGEL
Unseen insects buzzed in the trees. Beyond, the cornerof a blue house could be seen. It looked abandonedand I wondered why the lonely building was on a
speck of an islet in a remote and almost inaccessible tropicalwilderness. It was spooky. “Let’s check it out,” Bill insisted,already climbing the moss-dampened walkway.
This morning, I’d just anchored Angel alongside Defiantin the Angel Cays, a wild stretch along the lower easternshore of Great Abaco Island. Comprising several large caysand hundreds of minute islands intertwined with creeksand shallow bays, the area is a natural paradise. As wepoked along in a dinghy safari, old-growth tropical floraand exotic wildlife had our heads swiveling in all direc-tions. Some 60 species of wild orchids are native to theBahamas, and glimpses of these delicate blooms could beseen along with a wild variety of tropical trees, bush, a lonecactus and thick moss drooping over jagged limestoneledges. Some native Bahamians still practice “bush medi-cine,” an ancient craft of healing the body with naturalremedies. Surely there were plenty of remedies here. Whileland abounded with life, the shallow bays were teeming
with starfish, crab, turtles, fish, sponges and soft corals.Twittering finches, butterflies and dragonflies flitted above,and a horsefly tried to get a taste of Bill’s unsuspecting leg.
The rare few signs of humanity are the enigmatic bits ofabandoned gear left here in 1971 by the Owens-Illinois lum-ber-gathering operation on the mainland. A derelict bargewith a red barn-like sawmill sits canted in the shallows, itsroof collapsed inward. The remnants of docks, rusted stor-age tanks and a dirt road are found on Snake Cay in thisremote series of islands. Visiting cruising boats can slip intothe channel south of Snake Cay and anchor in the soft bot-tom of a basin behind Deep Sea Cay in 6 to 12 feet of water.Tidal currents squeeze through the channel’s mouth at abrisk pace, but once inside, it is a protected hideout fromfrisky weather. A blue hole in this channel offers good fish-ing and snorkeling. Boats can also anchor anywhere on theoutside, and Snake Cay offers a lee on either side of its L-shaped end, depending on the wind direction.
“I’m not swimming over that!” Bill said, squinting atthe blue hole’s mysterious depths as we drifted over it inthe dinghy. Here was a strange portal to a labyrinth of sub-
The Real World:Angel Cays, on theEastern Shore of GreatAbaco Island, BahamasBy Rebecca Burg
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 39
the real world. Boaters share the same idea, whether it’s asunny daysail or a long cruise to a new shore. Odd, then,that non-boaters often accuse us of trying to escape fromreality. That stubby perspective surmises that the man-maderealm of TV, mortgages, ringing phones, 9-5 workdays andcomputers, which has existed for less than 200 years, is thesaid reality. Thus, that same perspective implies that theboater’s world of sea, sand, wind, tides and sun, which hasexisted for millions of years, is not reality or is an illusion.Of course, the boater knows the truth and embraces it. Bothworlds, modern man-made society and the natural realm,have a reason for being and experiencing the realities ofboth can enrich our lives. Balance is the key. Too much of
one or the other and we’re missing a partof life.
Bill and I left the lone house onthe hill and returned to our waitingsailboats. As the summer breezefaded in the night’s pale edge, we
motored a few miles east and into themiddle of the Abaco Sea. Defiantanchored in only 14 feet while Angelpulled alongside for a raft-up. We werethe only human presence around. The
stark, indigo hush of darkness farfrom the busy confines of man toyedwith our senses. One begins to noticethings that were before given little
regard. High squeaks of a few harm-less bats chasing insects could be heard.
The calm weather allowed the bugs to ven-ture out this far. Rock-still on a flat, black sea,
it was as if our boats were suspended inspace under a glittering symphony ofstars. The difficult-to-imagine vastness of
our own galaxy, its center visible as theMilky Way, blazed across the heavens. Out at
sea, the stars are almost bright enough to read by, andstreaking meteor sightings are surprisingly frequent. Theworld and beyond, made small by man’s technology,becomes great and mysterious again.
Refreshed after our immersion in the real world for awhile, we sail on with the sunrise. Leaving the Angel Cays,Angel heads toward the fast-paced bustle of civilization fora completely different, but nearly as real, adventure.
terranean caves that opened somewhere into the AtlanticOcean far to our east. Many Bahamians believe that some oftheir blue holes are bottomless, and local lore tells of a crea-ture—half shark and half octopus—that dwells in the cave’sentrance. The ancients referred to blue holes as the “navelsto the earth.” Bottomless earth-sized bellybuttons hauntedby shark monsters? I decided not to snorkel over this bluehole either.
After losing ourselves in nearly three nautical miles ofsteamy wilderness, I had to go to the bathroom. Bill spotteda small dock on a small islet. Assuming that it was from theabandoned lumber operation, we pulled up and cautiouslystepped ashore. After I dashed into the bushes,Bill found some weathered concretesteps. The walkway rose up a hill andled to a house that was mostly hid-den by tall coconut palms, creepingvines and thick brush. Of course,Bill just had to investigate. I reluc-tantly followed, wondering if any-one was home. “The door’s open,”Bill declared, boldly stepping inside.The small structure was devoid offurniture and the screened windowswere open. It appeared that all workon the house had come to an abrupthalt a long time ago. A brokencement bag lay on the cracked tilefloor, the spilled grey powder hard-ened by tropical humidity. Rustedtools and peeling paint cans werescattered in one corner. “Youcould’ve used the head right here,”Bill said, wiggling the flush handleon a pink toilet in an unfinished bath-room. No water came out. “Well,maybe not,” he concluded.
Lost in thought, I wondered about the curious junglehideout and why it was left unfinished. It can be reachedonly in good weather by a shallow and winding passagethrough the water. Here, on an isolated islet, there were nomodern conduits for electricity, water or phone service. Thelargest town in the area, Marsh Harbour, was a 14-nautical-mile boat ride away. This hidden house in the wilds surelywas someone’s dream of a getaway to the real world. Yes,
Part of the Angel Cays from the air. Snake Cay’s L-shaped end can be seen. Photo courtesy LeBoutillier.
The jungle hideout. Drawing by Rebecca Burg.
T his boat may be unique inthe history of boatbuild-ing: a boat that has slowly
and steadily evolved over timeas owners suggested improve-ments and the builder/designerincorporated those ideas thathe considered worthwhile. That’swhat you have in the newermodel Geminis: Essentially, it’s aboat designed by committee.
Originally, the boat was a30-foot cruising catamaran, andit has now evolved into a 34-foot cruising catamaran with anexpressed emphasis on cruis-er—not that these boats aren’traced, as they are. It’s just notintended to be a racer. It’sdesigned as a cruiser, and theboat does measure up very wellas a cruiser.
In my opinion, the Gemini105 makes a fine near-coastalcruiser. Some would disagree and point to trans-Atlanticcrossings as proof that the boat has big-ocean capability.Many boats of all sizes and shapes have crossed oceans, butthat does not make a boat everyman’s ocean-crossing cruis-er. I would also be the last to argue that near coastal condi-tions are more benign than ocean-crossing conditions.They’re not. But, at least in near coastal waters, when con-ditions get bad, you can duck back inside, seeking protect-ed waters.
Why isn’t the Gemini an ocean-crossing design? It’stoo small, number one. It can’t carry enough stuff, numbertwo, and it’s too lightly built to be a safe haven in a severeocean storm.
I still think it’s a fine cruiser, provided you can pickyour weather and not venture too far offshore for too long.The shallow draft centerboards and kick-up rudders allownavigating shallow anchorages—a plus for a coastal cruisernavigating an unmarked inlet to a secluded lagoon. Also,the Gemini can fit into most marina slips, being a money-saver over beamier catamarans.
I’ve been on a number of Geminis and sailed (evenraced) with friends on theirs. I did a delivery trip on a newboat from the factory in Annapolis to Florida, and I’vecruised the Bahamas alongside one, so I’m pretty familiar
40 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
BOAT REVIEW
with the boat, although Ihave never owned one.
The boat is not fastdespite claims to the contrary.The Edel 35 catamaran (Iowned one) sails much fasterthan the Gemini, and the Edelis not particularly fast as cata-marans go. But the Gemini isa cruiser. Is it fast comparedto your average everyday 34-foot cruising monohull? Thatdepends on conditions. Goingto weather, a well-sailed andwell-designed 34-foot mono-hull probably carries the day.Reaching, though, is a differ-ent story. Gemini 105s willget up there around 12 knotsin perfect reaching condi-tions, and sailing at 8 to 9knots is not uncommon.
Unfortunately, there aresea conditions that will pound
your Gemini relentlessly, and the noise of a wave slam-ming the bridge deck is unnerving. It probably doesn’t dothe boat any good either. Slamming is a feature of anycatamaran where bridge deck clearance has been sacri-ficed on the altar of interior headroom. Even the largercruising cats, such as the Lagoons or Moorings cats, sufferfrom this malady.
The Gemini RigThe rig and sailing systems are fine, if a little light, and thedeck layout works okay, but be careful negotiating the nar-row side decks. I’m also not a fan of the optional Geminisystem for managing a cruising spinnaker or “screecher.”That large curved traveler track is just not far enough for-ward to be optimal. A better arrangement is the foldingbipod bowsprit that extends about six feet forward and yetfolds back against the furled headsail for docking. Severalfriends have this custom-made system, and it works verywell without cluttering up the foredeck.
Liveability The foredeck makes a great sunning platform, and at leastone Gemini I’ve seen has a set of custom cushions for theforedeck that snap on, making a giant lounge. Interior
The Gemini 105Mc under sail.Photo courtesy Performance Cruising.
Gemini 105:A Good Coastal Cruiser that hasEvolved Over TimeBy Capt. Ron
davits. Best seat in the house.Interior fit and finish is much better
in the 105 models than in previous ver-sions. It’s light and airy, even if a bit of a“Clorox bottle”—better than the olddark and dreary wood.
Water and fuel tankage is adequatefor the short-term cruise, although watertankage could be a bit light for a familyof four for more than a few days.
The Engine and the Mechanicson the Gemini
The little Westerbeke diesel engine in thenewer boats is just about right. Fuel con-sumption is light, but the “agricultural”final drive unit seems to require morethan a little maintenance. Changing thelower unit fluid is a challenge, and themanual hydraulic jack for lifting the unitclear of the water seems a bit silly. If youtake the trouble to make a hydraulic sys-tem for trim and tilt, why not make itelectric with a thumb-button control justlike any ordinary old Evinrude? The bigprop is a plus though, and since thedrive steers with the rudders, themaneuverability problem that existed inlow speeds that was an issue in olderGeminis has been eliminated. Cruisingspeeds under power are in the range of6.5 to 7 knots.
The helm position gets some com-plaints on older boats, but I found the105 to be as good as any. It is shelteredfrom the sun and rain and at least facesforward. I found visibility to be good,and the helmsman can reach the con-trols even when perched alongside thehardtop for docking maneuvers. Theoptional helm seat is great, especiallywhen doing an extended motor downthe ICW.
The instrumentation and electronicspackage on my friend’s new boat is
excellent. It’s all interfaced and integrated Raymarine stuffand very well done. That comment could be extended to theentire electrical system on the new boats. I especially likethe inverter/charger arrangement. One drawback to benoted, though, is that the batteries are located in a positionthat makes servicing difficult. If it were my boat, I’d orderGel or AGM batteries to avoid the servicing issue.
All in all, the Gemini is a good boat. If your cruisinggoals are relatively coastal, with maybe a venture to theBahamas somewhere down the road, then this is a verygood choice. It fulfills the mission of weekend cruiser for afamily and offers the possibility of longer cruises for a lotless money than the next size up in catamarans.
For more information on Geminis, go to www.geminicatama-rans.com.
accommodations are as good as they getin this size boat. Again, compare theGemini 105 to your typical 34-foot mono-hull and you will find that the Geminican accommodate three couples in sepa-rate staterooms. Yes, the after-cabinberths are a bit crowded if you’re a bigperson but workable for a weekend—oreven a week or two. For a family of Mom,Dad and two kids…each gets a privateroom. Where’s that on your 34-footmonohull?
The forward berth is big enough forlarge people, although there is an insideposition and an outside position. That is,the outside position (to starboard) can getin and out without disturbing the insidesleeper. So if one of you has to get up inthe night to check the head or the anchoror whatever, put that person in the out-side position; otherwise, the inside per-son will be climbing over to get out.
The galley-down arrangement is asefficient as it can be, given the cook needsto stand and have access to stove, fridgeand food storage. Some couples cruisingGeminis have converted the starboard aftberth to a pantry where most bulk fooditems are stowed.
The propane fridge works well, too,although fuel consumption can be anissue, and the front opening means thatmost of the cold is lost with each opening.I’d prefer a larger top-loader for mostcruising requirements. I would find thecold-food storage a bit small for extendedcruises—beyond a couple of weeks any-way. Our friends report that when cruis-ing, a propane tank will need a refillevery couple of weeks. I’m also not crazyabout having an open flame in the cabinno matter how small it might be, but I’mnot aware of any problems with the sys-tem, and these fridges have been stan-dard in Gemini for many years.
The dinette arrangement will work for four or evenmore for dinner, and the galley/dinette arrangement does-n’t leave the cook out of the cocktail hour. The head layout,on the port side, and the ingenious arrangement of valves,holding tank, pump-outs, etc., seems to work well. With thenewer diesel boats, hot-water storage heaters are a muchbetter solution than the older gas “demand” system.
The boats boast very adequate storage both belowdecks and on deck for the normal cruising gear althoughsome planning will be needed to take advantage of thesometimes awkward shape of interior cubbyholes. A pair ofdavits on the stern is a reasonable solution to dinghy stor-age, provided you have a light dinghy. A bridge could alsobe constructed across the back for solar panels.
Be sure to order the sling seat that rigs between the
The layout on the Gemini 105Mc.
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 41
Specifications Gemini 105McLOA 33’ 6 “ LWL 31’ 9 “ Beam 14’ Displacement 9,600 lbs Sail Area - Main 340 sq ft Sail Area - Genoa 350 sq ftSail Area - Screecher 490 sq ftDraft - Board Up 18” Draft - Board Down 5’ 6 “
The Seven Seas CruisingAssociation, Inc. (SSCA)supports cruisers whoare, according to conventional wisdom,spending years at thehelm of a sailboat plying warm season the way from one tropical paradiseto another.
Once each year, SSCA mem-bers gather in Melbourne,FL, for their annual meeting
(previously called the Gam) and atleast temporarily operate in a com-pletely different mode. This year,the meeting was Nov. 10-12 andover 400 pre-registered, and per-haps as many as 200 more registeredon-site. They bring a lot of joie de
vivre to the meeting, so there’s no shortage of camaraderie,as well as quieter times with old friends whose wakes againcross for a few days. The other half of the event, the uniquehalf, provides sailors with contacts, tools and knowledge tomake the cruising lifestyle dream a reality.
A vendor exposition fills the entry hall every year.About 50 vendors and retail outfits offer everything frombooks to safety gear for cruisers. You could find the sameitems at a boat show, but you might spend the whole daylooking. Here, it is all together, and the relaxed atmospherepermits extensive conversation with the vendor to aid thebuying/use decision.
The convention’s main draw, however, is the featuredspeakers and roundtable discussions. There were more thana dozen seminars spread throughout the three-day event.They included such topics as “Medical and SurgicalEmergencies at Sea” by Dr. Laura Sudarskyto, and“Troubleshooting Electronics Aboard–or, When It Breaks,It’s Not Hopeless,” by Joe Jelinski. Other topics includedexperiences sailing regional seas, basic navigation and sev-eral topics focusing on family life aboard the cruising boatwhile maintaining effective contact with the folks backhome. Notably, the schedule of speakers is designed to offersomething to cruisers who are preparing for their firstextended cruise as well as to those who have been away along time and know what they’d like to learn before thenext leg of a journey. At least two book companies were inthe vendor hall, which is a notable proportion for what is afocused and comparatively modest exposition (comparedwith a boat show). Between the seminars and vendors,cruisers obtain more information in two days than theymight be able to access in months of trips to the local library.
The annual meeting is also the time each year that theorganization elects its leadership and sets goals for the com-ing year. Kathleen Watt was elected for a second term aspresident, and Steven Leeds is the incoming 2006-7 vicepresident. These two, working with the board of directors,developed an ambitious list of goals for the next year.According to Kathleen Watt, reaching these goals will “pro-
42 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
Seven Seas CruisingAssociation AnnualMeetingBy Roy Laughlin Above: The SSCA annual meeting dinghy dock.
Left: SSCA members’ anchored boats.
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vide more value to SSCA membership.”These goals include:
• Increasing the membership• Upgrading the SSCA Web site• Services for new cruisers to help
them plan and prepare• Electronic information to cruisers• Establishing the SSCA Foundation• Discount program for SSCA
members at participating marine retail stores
The electronic information service isperhaps the most ambitious componentof the effort to serve cruisers (www.ssca.org). SSCA plans to develop andmaintain an information database onports worldwide. Users can query it, andit will be kept up-to-date by feedbackfrom SSCA members to include entryrequirements, costs, navigation information and any otheressential information a cruiser might need to ease into acruising destination. The SSCA’s goal is to make this the mostextensive service available. It will be available on the Web,(www.ssca.org), and via sideband radio. (By the time youread this, this feature should be available on the SSCA
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 43
SSCA Workshop Focus to Change in 2007By Roy Laughlin
In 2007, SSCA workshops will expand to include somenew topics. Instructors and topics include:
Lee Chesneau: “Basic Marine Weather Forecasting”Nigel Calder: “Coastal and Offshore Cruising”Julie Teetsov, Ph.D.: “What to Do When Your
Electronics Fail”
During 2005-6, Lee Chesneau was the workshop pioneerwith his meteorology for mariners course. Additionalworkshops, like Chesneau’s, will be held around thecountry in Maryland, South Florida, Seattle and SouthernCalifornia. According to SSCA President Kathleen Watt,workshop scheduling will no longer be set up to coordi-nate with boat shows and other events to try to lower par-ticipants’ expenses. The instructors will be presentingeach course independently. For a complete schedule,please see the SSCA Web site Events and Calendar pageat http://ssca.org/eventind.htm.
Web site.)The SSCA Foundation initially has two
prime missions: First, to provide assis-tance to cruisers who have lost their ves-sels in hurricanes or tsunamis. Second,the foundation will provide educationfor cruisers in nautical subjects and safe-ty. Third, its programs will work toincrease environmental awareness.
However much the vision of carefreecruising prevails, the usual and mun-dane responsibilities of daily life ridewith cruisers as well. The SSCA’s plan isto expand and improve its alreadysuccessful workshops to help cruisersachieve their dreams safely with thecamaraderie of fellow cruisers, whilemaintaining ties with family and com-munity back home.
The flea market at the SSCA meeting is always a favorite.
Web Site Gives Anchorage Maps and InformationBy Steve Morrell(Information and maps in this article were taken from the SeaGrant Web site listed here.)
If you’re cruising southwest Florida with computer accessand want some great information on anchorages, Florida SeaGrant has a Web site that is an inventory of anchorages from
Manatee County at the south end of the Tampa Bay SkywayBridge to Marco Island about 120 miles south. The Web site,called “Anchorage Inventory,” lists 47 anchorages with mapsand information. The url is http://flseagrant.ifas.ufl.edu/anchorage/anchorage_inventory.php.
The Anchorage Inventory gives the best definition andhistory of this database:
“The Anchorage Inventory provides online maps andinformation for popular southwest Florida anchorages. Itis the result of a five-year program to identify where andby what means anchorage management is required insouthwest Florida. To help boaters make informed choiceswhen selecting an anchorage, information is presented onlocal government ordinances, recreational characteristics,shoreside amenities, anchorage uses and sizes, and impor-
tant safety factors.“This Web site provides resident and transient boaters
with an easy-to-use selection guide to anchorages insouthwest Florida. The information is based on localknowledge provided by numerous boating organizationsand on a Florida Sea Grant research project involving sev-eral hundred volunteer boaters.
“All of these anchorages were selected to accommodatevessels with a draft of 5 feet or greater (many can accom-modate a draft of 6 feet or more), except for three with anapproach channel depth of 4 feet (Yacht Club Colony,Power Plant Slough, and Point Blanco #2). The averagedistance between anchorages on the Gulf IntracoastalWaterway is 4.85 miles, but be forewarned: Depending onthe particular stretch of waterway, weather conditions,
44 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
Sea Grant’s Anchorage Inventory:Cruising Southwest Florida
What is Florida Sea Grant?Florida Sea Grant is, in its own words, a “partnership program among the Florida Board ofEducation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Florida citizens, indus-tries and governments” (from the Sea Grant Web site). Florida Sea Grant is one of 32 nationwideSea Grant programs created by federal legislation to promote coastal research, education andmore. Its mission is “to enhance the practical use and conservation of coastal and marineresources to create a sustainable economy and environment. In a few words, it is ‘Science Serving Florida’s Coast.’ ”
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 45
3. In the third option, you can compare the features of allthe anchorages in a comparative table. For example, oneof your choices of comparison might be “Size andRestrictions.” That pulls up a table that lists all theanchorages and rates them as small, medium or large.Another column will say whether or not the anchoragehas local restrictions, and another column says whether itis an aquatic preserve or not. Another comparison tableone can pull up might be for “More Important Criteria.”When you go to this page, the comparisons are for “StormProtection” (good, fair or poor), “Bottom Holding” (good,fair, or poor), “Scenic Beauty” (good, fair or poor),“Tranquility” (good, fair or poor) and “Overall Rating”(low, medium, high). From these pages you can also go tothe Web page for each anchorage.
This third option will also take you to pages telling youabout the tides, local restrictions in each community andchart updates. When you go to the “Local Restrictions”page, there is also a section on the “Southwest FloridaRegional Harbor Board Standards for Anchorage,”which is anchoring guidelines for such things as anchor-ing over sea grass or anchoring in areas which impedeaccess to docks and other recommendations.
The Main Course: The Anchorage’s Web PageThis is the first option offered (#1 above), (although you canreach all the anchorage pages through the other twooptions) and you have two choices: You can just type in ananchorage name and go straight to its page, choosing the
and crowding, it may be necessary to travel a much far-ther distance to reach appropriate and available shelter.”
To use this resource, the Web site gives you three options onthe home page for gathering information on an anchorage(photos and chartlets available on these pages are in highenough resolution for printing):
1. You can click on “Search for Name,” which brings up theanchorage list, or you can type the name of an anchor-age in, or you can click on a map of southwest Florida,which takes you to a larger map on another page withicons representing all the anchorages. On that map, youcan hold your cursor over the anchor icon, which bringsup the anchorage name. You can click on it and it willthen take you to that anchorage’s page. Since theanchorage page for each location is the main informa-tion source of the Web site, we will discuss this featurein depth below.
2. The second option for anchorage information offeredon the home page is searching by location and/or fea-tures. You can choose a county or a city, and it will takeyou to a page listing the anchorages in that area. Fromthere go to each anchorage’s page. You can also do asearch for an anchorage based on various amenitiesthat you desire in an anchorage, like the sections“Storm Protection,” “Tranquility,” “Public Access,”“Holding,” etc. When you choose one of these, it willtake you to a page with a list of anchorages that hasthat particular amenity, and then you can go to eachanchorage’s page from there.
46 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
“Search for Name” option if you don’t know the name. Thelatter search will take you to a tabled list of names, showingtheir city and county location. Then you can click on thename to take you to that anchorage’s page.
If you don’t want to just type an anchorage name in, thehome page has a map of southwest Florida with anchoricons showing over 40 anchorages. Clicking on this maptakes you to a blown-up version of the map. Each anchoragehas an anchor icon. Passing your cursor over it will bring upits name, and clicking on the icon will take you to thatanchorage’s Web page. An anchorage’s Web page is the coreproduct that this whole anchor-age Web site offers with exten-sive information and graphicson each spot.
A good example of a typicalanchorage’s Web page is theLongboat Pass/Long-beachanchorage. They are listed as twoseparate anchorages, but becausethe two spots are right next toeach other, they are listed togeth-er. The page uses the same mapfor both of them with differentdescriptions and information foreach as you choose one or theother. A map appears showing anaerial photo with graphics indi-cating the anchoring locations.
Here is the list of the relatedamenities for the LongboatPass/Longbeach anchorage:
Site ratings Storm protection: poor Bottom holding: good Scenic beauty: fair Tranquility: poor Overall site rating: medium
Shoreside profile Natural: no Public access: no Commercial access: yes 100% private: no
The Longboat Pass/Longbeach chartlet and information• Minimum approach • Depth: 9 ft. • Depth in anchorage: 9-13 ft. • Lat 27° 26.3’ N • Lon 82° 40.8’ W (use Chart 11425 for navigation)The Web also offers the option of downloading the chartlet
The map of southwestFlorida showing the anchor-ages and their icons.
The aerial photo of the Longboat Pass/Longbeach anchorage.
Recreational characteristics Activities: NAFacilities: NAQualities: NAOverall site rating: high
High Use or “Popular” Low use (i.e., “undiscovered”): no Small craft and water sports: yes Anchoring: no Size: small
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 47
as a PDF or as an EPS, plus it offers theoption of downloading a “photographicmap,” which is really a combination ofthe photo of the land and a graphicdrawing of the bottom characteristics(see map).
The Web page ends with a generaldescription with some valuable infor-mation, telling the reader how to reachthe anchorage, shoals to keep an eye
out for on approaching it, bottom holding, recommenda-tions for anchoring, like other boats, type of bottom, swingroom, etc. The description also describes facilities andcharacteristics of the land, including nearby dinghy excur-sions, shopping centers andstores and other attractions.
Last but not least is a windquadrant protection graphic,showing what kind of shelter theanchorage will provide from aparticular wind direction.
The wind protection quadrant for the Longboat Pass/Longbeachanchorage showing wind protection from winds coming
from the northwest.
WARNING!Use of the Anchorage Inventory is dated material. TheWeb site copyrights the site as 1998-2000, and boatersshould keep in mind that the information available isdated (gathered over five years preceding 1998), and thatshifting bottoms and other changes can make anchor-ages and their approaches quite different from what islisted on the Web site. This is always true, and boatersshould always be aware as they enter and approach dif-ferent cruising areas. Hurricanes in the last two yearshave also caused bottoms to shift in many locales, andthere are a lot of new uncharted changes.
Local community anchoring restrictions are also quitedifferent today since this Web site was created—some-thing that has become very common in many of Florida’swaterfront communities. At the end of each list of commu-nity restrictions, the Web site has the city attorney listedwith name, phone number and address. I checked out sev-eral of these, and the attorney listed is still the same onetoday, but I did not check them all. It would be wise for allboaters to find out what they can about current localanchoring restrictions before anchoring in an area,although a new Florida law restricts local communities’ability to impose anchoring limitations on non-liveaboardboaters. (See SOUTHWINDS’, November 2006 or the “OurWaterways” section on the SOUTHWINDS’ Web site,www.southwindsmagazine.com for more information onthis law.) This law, though, has not yet been tested.Perhaps, you can test it. To do so, read the information inthe above-referenced SOUTHWINDS publications. [email protected] or call (941) 795-8704.
The Longboat Pass/Longbeach photographic map showing bot-tom depth at channel center (color-coded on the Web site.)
48 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
RACING
■ SOUTHERN RACING■ NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS
Racing and Sailing News and Articles WantedSouthwinds is looking for race reports and sailing/cruis-ing/racing news in the southern states, particularly in theFlorida Keys, Carolinas and Georgia. Contact [email protected].
Regata del Sol al Sol,St. Petersburg toMexico Regatta,Announces New 2007FeaturesFor more information, go to “Short TacksNews” on pages 19-27.
Gulf YachtingAssociation WinterMeeting and Events,Mobile AL, Jan. 6-7This year the GYA Winter Meeting willbe held on January 6-7 in Mobile, AL, atthe Holiday Inn in Mobile, AL.
Preceding the meeting, there will be a US SAILINGbasic race management seminar on Friday, Jan. 5.Registration is required. Jim Tichenor, HYC, US SAILINGnational certified senior race officer/certified senior judgeand Walter Chamberlain, BWYC, certified senior judge, willbe the instructors. This course will be the beginning of theprocess for certification as a club race officer and a step upthe ladder to become a US SAILING certified race manage-ment officer. US SAILING member fee $30, non-US SAIL-ING member $60. Includes lunch. Contact John Morrow [email protected].
Dick Rose, international certified judge, will present arules seminar on Saturday, Jan. 6, with all proceeds going tothe GYA Foundation to help junior and college sailing pro-grams in the area. There is a charge of $30 per person for theracing rules seminar. Dick Rose has asked his fee be donat-ed to the GYA Foundation.
The GYA Foundation will need items for its fourthannual silent auction at the winter meeting on Jan. 6.Contact Jane Eshleman, GYA foundation treasurer at [email protected], with a list of any silent auctiondonations.
The annual GYA awards banquet will be held onSaturday, January 6, at 7:00 p.m. The cost of the dinner(sliced roast sirloin of beef, au jus) will be $25 including tipand gratuity. To make reservation contact [email protected] .
The tentative GYA winter meeting schedule is postedon the GYA Web site, www.gya.org.
It’s Showtime! Key West Race WeekSneak Preview – Acura Key West2007, January 15-19By Rebecca Burg
In the fantasy-like island of Key West almost anything goes.Recently, an islander named Bob dressed up like a hurricaneand was forced to walk the plank on a pirate schooner. Last
New Year’s Eve, a drag queen was lowered in a giant, glit-tery high-heel shoe on the countdown to midnight. As thesaying goes, “Only in Key West...”
Now, another only-in-Key-West event takes place. RaceWeek comes into town with superstar sailors and high-techboats for the hottest competition around. It’s a wild party inthe southernmost city’s blue backyard as nearly 300 sail-boats and thousands of sailors vie for top titles in five daysof suspenseful racing. Some motorboat owners might thinkthat sailboats are slow and dainty creatures, but theyhaven’t seen Acura Race Week. The guts and raw wind-driven power displayed here is anything but dainty.
While it’s more fun to participate, watching the rivalryis just as impressive. At the main tent by the waterfront’sHistoric Seaport, you can obtain a pass to participate innightly after-race parties. Videos of each day’s action, wear-ables for sale and a sailor’s favorite refreshments add to thefun. Famed sailing talents also participate in discussionpanels where anyone interested can attend to catch valuablenew ideas. A daily news report printed throughout theweek will have a schedule of events and for sailors’ familiesand friends back home, an Internet video with reports frombroadcaster Gary Jobson will be running (www.premiere-racing.com). The sailors are the leading stars in this world-class show, while supporting the event is a solid-gold cast offamiliar names. Acura, Nautica watches, Mount Gay Rum,B&G Electronics, Everglades Boats, Lewmar, New EnglandRopes, SLAM and Sperry Top-Sider. Dozens of industrypartners and behind-the-scenes volunteers are also valuable
Race committee boats during Key West Race. Photo by Steve Morrell.
players in Race Week’s grand production.A sneak peek at the sign-up sheet shows a promising
list of competitors from around the globe. Just to name afew of our nearby Southern talents, Charles Buckner’s1D48, Blue, from Hunts Point, TX, and Steven Stollman’sC&C 115, Primal Scream, from Key Biscayne, will be there.Steve Rhyne’s J/109, Mojo, from Texas, is back this year.The exciting and new-ish Melges 32 fleet returns with dou-ble—maybe triple—the number of boats. Jeff Ecklund’sFort Lauderdale entry, Star, returns with Harry Melgescalling tactics. The Corsair 28R class shows a solid numberof entrants, and these speed demons will be racing fortheir national championship title as well as for Key Westhonors. Not in the show last year, Peter Katcha’s Corsair28R, Relentless, from St. Petersburg, FL, is welcomed ontothe stage. New names in the J/80 group include Texasentries Black River Racing, Kicks and Le Cluster. As usual,the Melges 24 class looks to be as intense as usual withseveral dozen slippery hulls from around the globe con-testing for top honors.
Breaking news includes the appearance of an excitinghigh-tech design, the NYYC Swan 42, which will competein the IRC group this year. It will likely have its own one-design class down the road. Makoto Uematsu’s Esmeraldahas reincarnated as an NYYC 42 (hull #2) and promises toturn the racing suspense up a notch or two. Also new thisyear is a PHRF National Championship. A significant partof the race, PHRF boats make up about 30-percent of theshow. Testing predatory instincts for the first time in KeyWest is the hot new J/92S, the Columbia 30, Annapolis 30,Beneteau 10R and the GP42. Just one of the many entrantsturning heads in the “big boat” class will be the immensespinnaker of Stephan Reith’s 81-foot German powerhouse,BonBon.
Weather this winter shows a cool and windy trend, andthe sunshine always wins out in Key West. Prevailing 10- to15-knot easterly breezes regularly give way to cold frontsthat pass over the Keys with a blast of strong northwest tonortherly winds in the 20-knot range. On shore, people stillwear shorts, but it always feels cooler on the water. Thesnappy subtropical winter weather is just part of the handthat the racing sailors will be dealt. The challenges aremany, and every moment in a race a great number of cardsare played: teamwork, winds, current, sea state, gear, start-ing position, etc. If the hand is played right, victory can behad in the island where almost anything goes. The stage isset and the stars are warming up. Get ready, it’s showtime!
Two Popular Sailing Symposiumsto be Held in New Orleans, Jan. 17-21 US SAILING has announced that its two popular sympo-siums, the National Sailing Programs Symposium (NSPS)and the One-Design Sailing Symposium (ODSS), will beheld together over a five-day period in New Orleans, LA,Jan. 17-21.
The National Sailing Programs Symposium, presentedby Vanguard Sailboats and geared toward sailing program
organizers, will kick off the events on Wednesday, Jan. 17,and run through Sunday, Jan. 21. The One-DesignSymposium, created for one-design class organizers, willtake place Jan. 20-21 at the same hotel, the New OrleansMarriott at the Convention Center.
The joint location for the two symposiums enables par-ticipants to attend seminars from both symposiums at a dis-counted rate. Registration for the NSPS includes entry intothe ODSS. Registration for the NSPS is $150 through Dec.15and $175 after Dec. 15. (US SAILING members receive $25off). Participants of the ODSS who arrive in New Orleans onJan. 19 or 20 can attend any Saturday seminars of the NSPSat the ODSS rate. Registration for the ODSS is $105 throughDecember, $130 after that date. (US SAILING membersreceive $25 off).
First created in 1983 and held annually since, USSAILING’s National Sailing Programs Symposium has,over the years, brought together thousands of sailingprogram organizers. Presented by Vanguard Sailboats,this symposium is an outstanding event for any sailingprogram organizer, with numerous educational seminarsand workshops on the agenda. The purpose of this annu-al symposium is for participants to network with otherorganizers and to share ideas on what it takes to run asuccessful sailing program. For information, visitwww.ussailing.org/training/nsps/2007/index.htm.
Created for sailors and one-design classes who wouldlike to learn more about one-design sailing, US SAILINGfirst organized the One-Design Symposium in 2004. The
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 49
event has been a success from the beginning. With over 200active sailboat classes in the United States, topics at thesymposium cover the full spectrum from the nuts and boltsof building a fleet to the intricacies of keeping a successfulclass running smoothly. For information, visit www.ussail-ing.org/odcc/2007ODSShomepage.htm.
Gasparilla Regatta in Tampa, FL, Continues After More Than 30 YearsOn Feb. 10-11, the Tampa Sailing Squadron will again hostone of the oldest and biggest regattas in Tampa Bay, theannual Gasparilla Regatta. The regatta was first held in theearly ’70s for cruising boats. That first year, about 60 boatsraced under the St. Pete Sailing Association handicap ratingsystem. Many boats anchored in the harbor, and a bum-boatservice brought them ashore for dinner. It was the begin-ning of a long-running Tampa Bay tradition.
The tradition of Gasparilla continues today with theLexus Gasparilla Regatta.
This year’s schedule starts on Friday evening with reg-istration and an old-fashioned barbecue with hamburgersand hot dogs. The skippers meeting will follow at 1930 onFriday. Saturday morning will begin with a continentalbreakfast. The start of the race will be at 1100 on Saturday,Feb.10. PHRF classes racing will be Spinnaker, NonSpinnaker and True Cruising. Five or more entries will con-stitute a class. Possible classes include J/105, J/24, J/22, andCatalina 22.
The post-race party, awards, northern Italian dinnerand live music will follow. The women’s regatta will followon Sunday. This year’s sponsors are Lexus of Tampa Bay,West Marine, Banks Sails and Publix supermarkets.
For entry form and additional information, go towww.tampasailing.org/racing.htm, or contact the regattachairman at (813) 416-6298 or the Tampa Sailing Squadronclubhouse at (813) 645-8377.
US SAILING Judge Training andCertification Program. JudgesWorkshop and Exam, SouthernYacht Club, New Orleans, LA. Feb. 24-25 Sponsored by Area D, the GYA and the Southern YachtClub. It is designed for those who have been or want tobecome US SAILING-certified judges. The topics coveredinclude: Standards and Practices, Regatta Operations,Conduct of a Protest Hearing, Redress and OtherProcedures. The principal instructor for the seminar is USSAILING Senior Judge Jim Tichenor.
The workshop fee ($50/US SAILING member and$75/non-member) includes: continental breakfast, morningand afternoon breaks, lunches, dinner Saturday eveningand all workshop materials. Advance registration isrequired on the US SAILING Web site atwww.ussailing.org/judges/workshops/index.asp and thenumber of participants is limited to 30. The deadline foradvance registration is Feb. 12, 2007.
The ChrisPapandreas MemorialAwardBy Fairlie Brinkley
Chris Papandreas was anavid, competitive sailboatracer in the Florida WestCoast PHRF spinnakerdivision. As co-owner ofDesperado, a Beneteau 10-meter sailboat, she won the Windjammers Bikini Cupnumerous times and was consistently in the top five boatsin the West Florida PHRF Boat of the Year series. In 2005, theClearwater Yacht Club awarded Chris the Yachtsperson ofthe Year Award. Chris was devoted to learning as much asshe could about sailboat racing and lived for regattas, herpersonal favorite being the Clearwater to Key West race.She died in October 2005 after a 10-year battle with cancer.
The Chris Papandreas Memorial Award is a perpetualaward, which will be presented annually to a female sailorof any age from the Tampa Bay area who exemplifies thesame enthusiasm, dedication, mental strength and sense ofadventure in the sport of competitive sailboat racing asChris demonstrated. The award will be given in Chris’honor by the Tampa Bay Odd Lot Ladies Investment Cluband the Clearwater Yacht Club, in both of which she was anactive member.
Entries will be accepted by Clearwater Yacht Club’sYachting Committee through the end of the racing season.To nominate someone for the award, contact Tom Brucini at(727) 447-6000.
Beth Pennington Retires From West Florida PHRFAfter six years of loyal service to the PHRF racing commu-nity on the west coast of Florida, Beth Pennington is retiringas West Florida PHRF administrator. Beth and her husbandGeorge plan to enjoy their retirement by traveling and con-tinuing their active involvement in one-design and PHRFrace management.
The new office administrator for West Florida PHRF willbe David Billing of Clearwater. Check the WFPHRF Web siteat www.westfloridaphrf.org for the new contact information.
■ RACE REPORTSChampionship Of Champions,Little Rock, AR, Oct. 26-29By Dave Ellis
US SAILING’s annual Championship of Champions pitstwenty national sailing champs together in one type of boat.This year the event was at Grande Maumelle Sailing Clubnear Little Rock, AR, in Y-Flyers.
Chris Papandreas.Photo by Fairlie Brinkley.
RACING
50 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 51
Three days of racing produced all conditions, from verylight to 20 knots and more in gusts. Thirteen races werestaged, none of them longer than 25 minutes in length, so agood start was essential. While the boats were borrowedfrom owners, there was neither a “dog” boat nor one thatwas significantly faster. It took a little before-race home-work to figure out various rigging preferences as skipperschanged boats each heat.
There were no slouches in the group. All were champsof a class. Some skippers were more accustomed to crowd-ed starts and close roundings, and some were keelboat skip-pers or catamaran sailors. A few had pro sailors as crew, andothers used sailors from the local club.
Among sailors from the southeast, Paul Abdullah ofJacksonville, FL, representing the Interlake class, is also atop sailor in the J/24 and Thistle. He was usually among thetop group and finished fourth overall.
Dave Ellis of St. Petersburg, the Windmill champ, couldnot buy a good start but had excellent upwind speed to fin-ish seventh. He led the geriatric sector of the regatta.
Will Hanckel of Charleston representing the Y-Flyer,probably learned a few things about his own class, as he fin-ished ninth.
Bill Mauk of Miami, a well-known Etchells sailor,jumped in the scow and placed 11th. Ed Spengeman fromLouisville, KY, representing the 210, placed 13th.
The event was particularly well-organized and stagedby local sailors, with the aid of their Flying Scot fleet.
Results can be viewed at www.ussailing.org/champi-onships/CofC/cofcwinners.htm.
From 1851 to 2006: FirstBritish/American Sailing RaceReproduced in Naples Sailing andYacht Club’s Commodore’s Cup,Naples, FL, Nov. 4-5In the mid 1800s, the New York Yacht Club accepted an invi-tation and raced in a regatta at the Prince Albert’s GreatExhibition in London. The 53-mile race that started atCowes, England, went over a course which rounded the Isleof Wight. It created the tradition which we now recognize asthe America’s Cup.
The Naples Sailing & Yacht Club offered its own renditionof this 145-year tradition by hosting the Commodore’s CupSailing Regatta on Nov. 4-5. NSYC’s commodore, Ben Bethell,came to this historical occasion with proper parentage as he wasborn one mile from the Irish Sea in Cheshire, England. Hisfather, uncle and brother all served on ships at sea.
During the race, Commodore and Mrs. Bethell wereaboard the 19th century replica, Lady Stirling. Skippered byBen Davis, this 80-foot gaff-rigged schooner added an addi-tional visual reminder of the race that began it all.
“Sixteen boats participated in this year’s Commodore’s
52 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
RACING
Champion, and Andrew Estcourt were also aboard. In second place overall was another young talent
from Quantum Sails, Scott Nixon (Annapolis, MD). Nixonwas at the helm for David Ford from Newport, RI, whoactually attempted to tag-team the championship withtwo Melges 24s — Lightwave Micro and Lightwave Nano.Assisting Nixon as tactician was none other than MarkIvey. Mid-deck and forward was Ford, Bell Canty andBrian Smith. In third was John Pollard, a true Melges 24veteran from Torquay, UK.
The Melges 24 class is one of few one-design classesgranted with ISAF status. It is this international recognitionand categorization and a great boat design from ReichelPugh that bring high-profile notables to the starting linewith every major championship. Others competing inJacksonville were: three-time Melges 24 U.S. NationalChampion and Olympic Silver medallist Morgan Reeserwho was at the helm for Geoffery Pierini on Gazoo; 2006M24 North American Champion Brian Porter on FullThrottle, with Andy Burdick from Melges PerformanceSailboats calling tactics; double Melges 24 World RankingChampion Jamie Lea at the helm for Stuart Simpson onTeam Barbarians; and Collegiate Sailing Champion BoraGulari at the helm for Chuck Holzman on Flyer 2.
The class is known for being a magnet for the profes-sional type, but it is also quite successful at drawing aleague of Corinthian competitors and actually has a divi-sion/method for recognizing these so called “weekend war-riors.” This division is usually as competitive if not more
Cup,” offered Jerry Watkins, NSYC’s sailing fleet captain. “Itwas another exciting race, as men maneuvered their yachtsaround fixed obstacles while wind and waves pushed, pro-pelled and resisted their motion simultaneously.”
Results (place, boat, skipper ): Class A– Spinnaker A Fleet: 1, Tippecanoe, DanKendrick; 2, Maria, Maria Bonness; Class B – Spinnaker B Fleet: 1, Toad Hall,William Harris; 2, Children At Play, Graefe/Hamilton; Class C – Sportboat Fleet:1, Rocketboard, Peter Sulick; 2, Gone Mad, Dave Plonski; Class D – NonSpinnaker Fleet: 1, Air Supply, Steve Romaine; 2, Bentley, Tom Horner; Class E– True Cruising Fleet: 1, Island Time, Joe Barrett; 2, Brigadoon, Doug Cohn.
Chris Larson Wins The HighlyContested Melges 24 U.S. NationalChampionship, Jacksonville, FL,Nov. 16-18By Joy Dunigan
Chris Larson (Annapolis, MD)—at the helm for ScottHolmgren (Edmond, OK) on Rosebud—is the 2006 Melges24 U.S. National Champion. Larson, a famed sailor in hisown right, has sailed at the level of the Volvo Ocean Race,the Congressional Cup, the Louis Vuitton Cup and multipleworld championships too many to name, yet now can addMelges 24 National Champion to his great list of accom-plishments. In addition to Larson and owner Holmgren,Chuck Norris, a recent J/24 North American and World
competitive than the overalls. FormerUSMCA Southeast District GovernorDoug Kessler from Marietta, GA, whowas at the helm for Justin Chambers onLayLine II, won the Corinthian division.Marc Hollerbach on Fu from GrossePointe, MI, was second, and OthmarMueller Von Blumencron on Gannettplaced third.
The 2006 Melges 24 U.S. Nationals,sponsored by Latis™ Yachting Solutions,LayLine, Melges Performance Sailboats and Quantum Sailswas conducted at the Florida Yacht Club in Jacksonville, FL.Traditionally, this weekend is the same as the famous King’sDay Regatta, and the M24s are always out in full force—onthe course and at the bar. It has become such a great eventthat a number of international competitors—some travelingwell over 3,000 miles—have added this to their racingschedules, and use it as a ramp-up to Key West Race Weekabout two months later. This year, five international teamswere on hand, with third-place overall finisher Pollard lead-ing the charge. The hospitality is wonderful and the racecommittee, one of the finest in the country, pulled out thered carpet and served up a three-day championship thatlived up to everyone’s expectations. For three days, 46teams participated, going head-to-head for the title. Nineraces were scheduled and completed. Brian Porter on FullThrottle won race 1 and 3; Larson won race 2 and 9; Pollardwon race 4; new-boat owner John Downing won race 5; John
Ginson at the helm for Eamonn O’Nolan on Bateauneuf wonrace 6; Nixon won race 7; and Gulari won race 8.
Weather during the regatta brought a major mix of rac-ing conditions. Thursday was heavy air with wind velocitiesexceeding 25 knots, and both Friday and Saturday hadwinds that barely reached 5-8 knots. There was never a dullmoment on the course—regardless of conditions—and therewere some surprising results and others as expected. All-in-all, a great time was had by everyone.
Two individuals that deserve more recognition than canpossibly be given are Pat Lambert, regatta chair, and RickPreston, the PRO. Both of these gentleman have repeatedlyfor the last 14 years gone above and beyond the call of dutyfor the Melges 24 fleet. At the awards dinner, both wereintroduced and awarded with tokens of appreciation fromthe U.S. Melges 24 Class Association. The Florida Yacht Clubwas also recognized and presented with a half-hull fromNoble Awards for their unwavering support to the Melges
Mark Smith and Jeff Zern round the windward mark in the AreaD Qualifiers. Photo by Roy Laughlin.
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 53
Racing in the Melges 24 National Championship. Photo by USMCA/JOY Advertising.
more even playing field. Each boat in the different classeswhose skipper and crew had successfully competed in anyprior race or regatta would have its handicap modified by athree-second penalty, plus—if participants had “placed” inany prior race or regatta, their handicap would again bemodified with an additional three-second penalty. Noprotests were permitted.
The turnout for this new contest was 19 boats. RaceChairman Betsy Moraski displayed special class flags thatwere designed for this unique race. The Espoused Class flagdisplayed a simple gold band in the center of a white flag.The Non-Espoused Class flag was similar in design with ared slash mark across the gold band.
The weather conditions were ideal with sunny skies,warm temperatures and light breezes. The 10-mile coursesent the couples on a steeplechase around Pensacola Bay.During the day, winds increased to a moderate breeze ofnine knots, finishing the day’s competition with plenty ofsailing fun and camaraderie.
Special awards were given to the sailors in each class.Trophies were given for the slowest boat (last to finish, uncor-rected time) and the first boat to finish in each class carryingor towing a dinghy, outboard motor, grill on the rail, biminiand dodger (corrected time). There was a trophy for the firsthusband-wife boat to finish (corrected time), the first oldestcouple to finish and the first youngest couple to finish.
The race was deemed a great success, and the CruisingCouples of the Gulf Coast are looking forward to next year’sopportunity to cruise with their friends and comrades.
24 class over the years.Full race reports, results (overalls and Corinthian) and
competitor contributions can be found at the official Website of the U.S. Melges 24 Class Association atwww.usmelges24.com.
Cruising Couples Regatta,Pensacola Yacht Club, Nov. 18By Kim Kaminski
On Nov. 18, a group of fun-loving sailing friends and cou-ples joined together to initiate the Cruising Couples Racecreated by Fleet Captain John Matthews at the PensacolaYacht Club. He designed the race as an opportunity toattract couples that normally participate in cruising or raft-up events. The contest was set up as a double-handed racewith only one skipper and one crew, and no one else waspermitted to be on the boat.
Two class divisions were created for the race, espousedand non-espoused, and it would only be sailed non-spin-naker. The couples must be “duly espoused” to qualify forthe espoused class, and any two people, related or non-related for the non-espoused class. No age limit was set forthe race, but in order to be eligible for the special award tro-phy (Oldest Couple to Finish and Youngest Couple to Finishbased on total combined ages), proof of ages were required.
Another special requirement for all participants includ-ed modifications of the PHRF handicaps to help ensure a
54 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
RACING
Results: Espoused Class: 1, Sirocco, Rick Zern/Lee Newkirk, 1:48:52; 2, RumAground, Dave/Leann Dunbar, 1:50:57; 3, The Reach Around, Jeff/Ellen Hunt,1:55:28; 4, Coquina, Kim/Julie Connerley, 2:00:00; 5, Dream Maker, Tom/SherylElliott, 2:00:23; 6, Loafer’s Glory, Larry/Ann-Marie Bowyer, 2:01:20; 7, Recess,Jim/Linda Oyler, 2:01:37; 8, Avalon, The Knights, 2:04:24; 9, Ptarmigan, TheStichwehs, 2:10:29; 10, Island Time, Ron/Innes Richards, 2:11:24; Non-Espoused Class:1, Chubasco, Tim Dunton/Susan McKinnon, 1:47:30; 2, PolishNavy, Dan Owczarczak/Kim Kaminski, 1:50:32; 3, Jan, George Black/crew,1:59:58; 4, The Return of Tirhalle, Dave Oerting/Julie Danton, 2:00:51; 5, Hilly,Dan Damm/Father, 2:07:28; 6, Caribbean Soul Too, Bob Kriegal/crew, 2:10:14;7, Passion, John Myran/crew, 2:13:44; 8, Alegria, Tim Burr/crew, 2:16:18; 9, DeAdelaar, John Matthews/Son, 3:05:31. Special Awards: First to Finish, FullyLoaded / Espoused, Loafer’s Glory, Larry Bowyer; First to Finish, Fully Loaded /Non-Espoused, Return of Tirhalle, Dave Oerting; First Husband / Wife to Finish,Rum Aground, Dave/Leann Dunbar; Oldest Couple to Finish (129 years), DanDomm & Father; Youngest Couple to Finish (70 years), The Dunbars (Daveand Leann); Slowest Boat/Last to Finish, De Adelaar, John Matthews and Son.
2006 Davis Island Yacht ClubThanksgiving Regatta, Nov. 25-26,Tampa, FLBy Kat Malone
A cacophony of centerboards and dinghies descended onDavis Island Yacht Club on November 25-26 for the annualThanksgiving Regatta. With weather willing and welcom-ing, 146 competitors hit the water bright and early onSaturday morning to begin two days of lively one-designand Portsmouth racing. With four race circles, nine class-es—Opti Green, Opti Red, White, and Blue, Laser andSunfish, and Lighting, Flying Scot, and Portsmouth—com-peted in what was reportedly, “ideal conditions: warmwater, good wind, and lots of sunshine.”
On Saturday, all courses held an average of five raceswith some fleets actually getting more than five races com-pleted. Smiles and the sweet sound of kids having fun fil-tered through the air on both Opti courses. However, thecompetition was fierce with the Green, Red, White, andBlue fleets displaying the I-flag at starts. Yet, all in all, theracing on all courses went smoothly, thanks to the efficientand effective race committees.
On Saturday evening, the competitors, support crew,and spectators enjoyed the hospitality of the host club witha taco bar buffet. Following the traditional giveaway ofitems, the skippers and crew departed for their tents, hotels,and homes. On Sunday, November 26, racing continued,
and with the weather conditions still ideal, most fleets par-ticipated in another five races. Overall, the 2006 DavisIsland Yacht Club Thanksgiving Regatta offered competi-tors ideal weather, great racing, and fun opportunities forcompetition and friendship.
First place winners were (class followed by name): Laser(full rig)-Marks; Laser Radial-Billing; Laser 4.7-Hall; Sunfish-Sims; 420-Horowitz; Lightning-Linton; Portsmouth-Crump;Flying Scot-Clement; Opti Red-Michael Popp; Opti Blue-Courtney Lehan; Opti White-Luke Muller; and OptiGreen-Marcos Darcy. For full results, go to www.diyc.org.In addition, Gary Hufford also captured the regatta on cam-era. For pictures of the event, go to the photos page at theSouthwinds Web site at www.southwindsmagazine.com.
Keys Sailors Shine in Hobie WaveNationals, Key Largo, Dec. 1-3By Rick White
The 9th Annual Hobie Wave Nationals was held at theUpper Keys Sailing Club in Key Largo on Dec. 1-3 onButtonwood Sound in Key Largo. Hogsbreath Beer andSaloon of Key West, Catamaran Sailor magazine andwww.OnLineMarineStore.com sponsored the event. It washosted by the Upper Keys Sailing Club at MM99.5 bayside,which was headquarters for all onshore activities.
The event included the Open, Women, Youth andMaster Championships in the fastest growing class of sail-boats in the United States. In the past, the regatta hasattracted as many as 65 boats of which 23 of the skippershave won at least a national title or better in other classes.
The Wave is only about 13 feet in length, has one sailand is roto-mold-built of nearly indestructible material. Thedesign is extremely simple to rig and sail, and it is veryinexpensive, which makes the boat great for juniors, mas-ters and women
Regatta winds averaged over 15 knots. Out of a fleet of25 boats, local Keys sailors Dave White and Leah White fin-ished in fourth and fifth place. Leah White also won firstplace for the Women’s division.
Miami sailor Kenny Pierce started off with some badscores but came on strong in the last two days to capturesecond place. Pierce is also the reigning US SailingMultihull Champion and winner of the Alter Cup.
The competition was awesome as eleven of the sailorshad won national or world championship titles and showedup to battle it out in the Wave Class.
Other local sailors were in the hunt as well. Barb Short,who runs the sailing center at Founders Park in Islamorada,took 12th and fourth in the Women’s division. HusbandChip Short finished in 16th place. Marylou Chambers was21st and Paul Keever was 23rd.
The race officials were able to get in 18 races during thethree-day event. Principal Race Officer Rick White said,“We were really lucky the cold front stalled out and did notmake it here during the weekend.” The weather did stayperfect, with temperatures in the low 80s, winds of 18 to 20mph and flat seas—perfect sailing conditions.
There is a very active class that races the Wave at theUpper Keys Sailing Club twice a week. For more informa-tion, contact Barb Short at (305) 434-8984.
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 55
Lasers line up for the start at the DIYC Thanksgiving Regatta.Photo by Gary Hufford. www.beachmaster.smugmug.com.
56 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
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St. Petersburg Yacht Club has becomea favorite place to sail for disabledsailors. The St. Pete Sailing Center isaccessible to wheelchairs both onshore and at the docks.
The America’s regatta invites thethree Paralympic boats that will beused in China at the 2008 games torace, including a select group of able-
bodied sailors as competitors. Theintent is to “raise the bar” of disabledsailing, inviting top open sailors tomix it up. This year, it became appar-ent that the Paralympic sailors haveevened the playing field. All threeclasses were won by sailors whoqualify for the Paralympic Games.
Rick Doerr of New Jersey admits
that he started sailing near the backof the fleet not that many seasonsago. He is a keen observer of thesport and carefully watched skilledable-bodied sailors such as ColinPark. Once he gained self-confidence,he started racing in open events, usu-ally using one able-bodied crew forspinnaker work.
America’s Disabled/Open Regatta, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Dec. 1-3By Dave Ellis
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In this event, the Sonar did notuse the spinnaker. Doerr, along withcrew Tim Angle and Bryan Tabler,were the clear winners. Second wasCanadian sailor Ken Kelly with DonTerlison and Marc Shawrick crewing.
The new boat was theBethwaite-designed Skud-18, sort oflike a high performance dinghy witha long, weighted keel. These boatsare overpowered upwind in lessthan 10 knots of wind, putting a pre-
mium on boat handling. Canada’sDavid Cook and Brenda Hopkincounted all first places, with JohnMcRoberts and Stacy Louitt, also ofCanada, in second.
The diminutive 2.4-Meter wasthe largest class with 13 boats. BruceMillar of Canada won by one pointover Stellen Berlin of Sweden. This isremarkable since Berlin is the worldchamp of the class and not disabled.He was sailing a borrowed boat and
was caught on the wrong side of a bigright wind shift in one race. PaulTingly, also of Canada, was third.
There were more coaches for theCanadian team than some classes hadcompetitors. Except Doerr in theSonar, the Canadians had speed andsmarts on the fleet.
Results can be viewed at www.spyc.org/club/scripts/section/sec-tion.asp?GRP=5564&NS=REGP.
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 57
2nd Annual Holiday InvitationalRegatta, Lake Lanier, GA, Dec. 2By R. J. Mitchellette
Once again, the scene could have been viewed as a specificclass fleet in any ocean race anywhere on this planet, yet itwas just the big cruiser racing fleet, known as thePerformance Cruising Racing Fleet (PCRF) on beautifulLake Lanier in Georgia.
The day was beautiful with clear blue skies and temps inthe 60s. Unfortunately, 3-mph winds did little to help the bigboats through a shortened 6-mile course. Nine boats with 28sailors raced, including a 44-foot Morgan, skippered by PeteWinham, who took second place and a 31-foot Hunter, skip-pered by Fred Kempner, who took third place—even with astorm sail instead of a conventional Genoa due to the latterbeing blown out in a race the week before.
First place went to skipper George Westinghouse, whobeat the second-place skipper by 30 minutes and the rest ofus by too much in his made-for-light-wind Cal 9.2. The realtest was the entry of new skippers to the fleet: TonyMcWhorter sailed his brand-new 42-foot Beneteau, andRobert and Sylvia Chassner were in their new 33-foot Hunter,both of whom finished. The photos were taken by BillYoungblood, who skippered his 34-foot Catalina. Missingdue to previous commitments were our pals and very expe-rienced skippers, Bernard D’Andria, who owns a new 42-footCatalina and Jim Eigel, who skippers a new 35-foot Catalina,or the fleet would have been even more awesome.Nevertheless, watching nine big cruisers cross the start lineabout two minutes apart was breathtaking to say the least.
It was a true test of the skippers’ and their crews’ sailingskills to move the boats between the 1- to 2-knot speedsallowed by the wind gods, which is the reason why the coursetime was about three hours. However, all the boats did finishand joined the race organizer, this reporter, and his mate Joycefor an après-Christmas race party at their home on the lake.
The general consensus of the fleet skippers and theirmates and crew was an unquestionable “Hoorah” for thecontinuation of this event for years to come, especially sinceit marks the end of the season regattas, as it was held onSaturday, December 2.
“Get Out There!”
■ REGIONAL RACING CALENDARS
Regattas and Club Racing—Open toEveryone Wanting to Race The races listed here are open to those who want to sail. Noindividual club membership is required, although a region-al PHRF rating, or membership in US SAILING or member-ship in a regional sailing association is often required. (Ifindividual club membership is required, please contact usand we will not list their races in the future.)
For publishing of your event, questions and informa-tion, send us your race schedule by the 5th of the month [email protected]. Send in the name of theevent, date, location, contacts (Web site, e-mail and/or
phone), and, if you want a short description. Do not justsend a link in to this information.
Since race schedules and venues change, contact thesponsoring organization to confirm. For changes to be pub-lished, contact the editor. Changes can be put on our Website, if possible.
RACE CALENDAR
JANUARY 2007Long Bay Sailing Association www.longbaysailing.org1 Hangover Regatta, Little River Inlet, SC.Neuse Yacht Racing Association www.nyra.org1 Fred Latham Regatta, SJ21, New Bern, NC.13,27 Winter Series, PHRF – NYRA boty, New Bern, NC.
RACE CALENDAR
JANUARY Central and NE Florida1 New Year’s Day Fun Regatta. Titusville Sailing Club1 Hangover Regatta. (Small boats). Melbourne Yacht Club1 Hangover Regatta. Rudder Club6 First Saturday at Sebastian Inlet. Indian River Catamaran
Assocociation6-7,20-21 Club Races. Lake Eustis Sailing Club7,21 Rum Race. Melbourne Yacht Club27 Women’s Race. ECSA-Women’s. Melbourne Yacht ClubFEBRUARY3 First Saturday at Sebastian Inlet. Indian River Catamaran
Association2-4 Eighth annual National Wayfarer Regatta. Lake Eustis Sailing Club10-11,24-25 Club Races. Lake Eustis Sailing Club18 St. Johns Regatta. Florida Yacht Club17-18 37th Annual George Washington Birthday Regatta. Lake
Eustis Sailing Club.
RACE CALENDAR
JANUARY5 BBYRA Annual Registration MYC.6-7 Stars Bob Levin Memorial. CRYC – The 17th annual two-day
regatta for Star class.6-7 Etchells Sid Doren Memorial. BBYC – The 7th annual two
day regatta. One of four events of the Jaguar Cup Series.
REGIONAL RACE CALENDARS
58 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
See RACE CALENDARS on page 68
6 J/24 - #1. Flat Earth – First race of the J24 One Designseries.
10-12 Ft Lauderdale to Key West. LYC – Feeder race for the KeyWest Race Week.
12-14 Alex Cavigilia Bluewater Classic. Shake-A-Leg & Flat Earth13 BBYRA OD#1. MYC – First race of the Series for one design
fleet.14 BBYRA PHRF #1. CGSC – First race of the Series for PHRF
class boats.14-16 470 NA-USSC.15-19 Key West Race Week – Premiere Racing. The 20th Edition of
KWRW of day races held off Key West.18-21 2.4 Midwinters. Flat Earth20-21 Star’s Biscayne Trophy. CRYC – Annual two day race for Star
class.22-27 Olympic Class Regatta.27-28 Etchells FSA Championship. BBYC – The 14th annual two
day regatta for Etchells. Third of four events in the JaguarCup series.
FEBRUARY2-5 Women NA Keelboat Championship. US Sailing Center.2-5 49er NA Championship. US Sailing Center.3-4 Commodoro Rasco Snipe Regatta. CGSC – The 38th annual
two-day Snipe regatta.10 BBYRA One Design #2. BBYC - Second race of Series 1 for
One-Design boats.10-11 Star Masters Regatta. CRYC – The 23rd annual two-day
regatta for Stars.10 74rd Annual Miami to Nassau Race Week.1-13 KBYC Sonar Midwinters.16 Pineapple Cup – Montego Bay Race.17 J/24 Spring 2 Regatta. Flat Earth Racing. 24 Miami Yacht Club Annual Regatta/BBYRA One Design #3.24 MYC - Third race of Series 1 for One-Design boats.25 Miami Yacht Racing Annual Regatta/BBYRA PHRF #3.25 MYC - Third race of Series 1 for One-Design boats.
LEGENDBBYRA Biscayne Bay Yacht Racing Association. www.bbyra.netBBYC Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. www.bbyra.netCGSC Coconut Grove Sailing Club. www.cgsc.orgCRYC Coral Reef Yacht ClubMYC Miami Yacht Club. www.miamiyachtclub.net.
RACE CALENDAR
(Since Rebecca Burg took off for the good life and is cruising around,Southwinds is looking for someone to send us articles on sailing in theKeys; Racing, cruising, waterways and anchoring articles, etc. [email protected])
Key West Sailing Club. Every Saturday – Open House at the KeyWest Sailing Club. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (305) 292-5993. www.key-westsailingclub.org. Sailboat Lane off Palm Avenue in Key West.Come by the club to sail. Non-members and members welcome.Wednesday night racing has begun for the season. Skippers meet atthe clubhouse by 5:00 p.m. and boats start racing at 6:00 p.m. in theseaplane basin near the mooring field. Dinner and drinks afterward.
Upper Keys Sailing Club.www.upperkeyssailingclub.com.
RACE CALENDAR
West Florida Race Calendar The 0nline West Florida Race Calendar,which goes from Sept.1, 2006 thruough August 31, 2007, is availableon the SOUTHWINDS Web site with hyperlinks to sponsoring clubs.It covers racing in west Florida from Marco Island in southwestFlorida north, up to and including Clearwater. www.southwindsmagazine.com. Accessed on the racing pages from the home page.
Club Racing Bradenton YC. Winter Races starting in October until Daylight
Savings starts. Races at 1:30 p.m. PHRF racing on ManateeRiver. For info call Larry Lecuyer, (941) 729-5401.
Edison Sailing Center, Fort. Myers. Sunfish and dinghy racing oncea month, year-round [email protected]
Port Charlotte. Third Saturday of month, [email protected]
Venice Sailing Squadron. First Saturday of each month, PHRF rac-ing. Start at mouth of Venice Inlet. www.venice-sailing-squadron.org
JANUARY1 Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Hangover Race. 1 Tampa Bay Catamaran Society. Hangover Race, Dunedin
Causeway, Catamarans. 6 Venice Sailing Squadron. Venice Yacht Club. Buoy Race, PHRF 6-7 Davis Island YC. Commodore’s Cup, PHRF. (SBOTY)6-7 Platinum Point YC. Golden Conch Regatta, PHRF. (CHBOTY)9 St. Petersburg Sailing Association. Races #6 and #7. PHRF13 Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Snowbird Regatta. (SBBOTY)14 Caloosahatchee Marching & Chowder Society. Winter Races,
PHRF 15-19Key West Race Week. www.premiere-racing.com. 20-21St. Petersburg YC. Junior SE Team Racing. Optimists. 26-28St. Petersburg YC. Multi-class Invitational. (Windmill moved
to DIYC March 2-4), Snipe, Moth, Jet 14, Flying Dutchman,Martin 16, 2.4 Meter, Ultimate 20, SR Max, with 6 boats regis-tered in advance.
27-28Port of Tampa. Gasparilla Invasion. Booze, bikinis, bodaciousbehavior
FEBRUARY2-4 Lake Eustis Sailing Club. National Wayfarer Regatta.3 St. Petersburg Sailing Association. Races #8 and #9. PHRF3 Venice Sailing Squadron. Venice Yacht Club. Buoy Race, PHRF 3 Sarasota Bay Yachting Association/Sarasota Sailing Squadron.
Cherry Pie Regatta. (SBBOTY)3-4 St. Petersburg Sailing Center. High School South Points
Regatta.3-4 Gulfport YC. Classic Moth Midwinters [email protected].
Updated 11/27/20069 Caloosahatchee Marching & Chowder Society. Edison Gulf,
PHRF. (SWFBOTY)9-11 505 Midwinter Championship. Fort Desoto Park East Beach.
[email protected]. 10 Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Cherry Pie Regatta. (SBBOTY)10-11St. Petersburg YC. Valentine’s Day Regatta, Juniors.10-11Tampa Sailing Squadron. Gasparilla Regatta, PHRF.10-11Port Charlotte. Valentines Massacre, Sunfish, Rick Pantall,
(941) 627-0826. [email protected] Island YC. J/29 Midwinters.
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 59
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News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 63
See us at the Miami Strictly Sail boat show!
64 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
W A N T E DCARTOONIST/ARTIST WANTED.
Gary Larson style, to develop new character.Similar style of drawing and sense of humor asLarson. Low pay for small business develop-ing. But you could get famous. Need a fewdrawings created. [email protected]. 941-795-8704
BOATS & DINGHIES_________________________________________
Windsurfing Boards and Gear for Sale. 3Boards, 5 sails, three masts, two booms andall gear and harness for several setups, etc. Bic273 (4 years old and like new), Hi Tech 8’11”(good condition), Custom Hi-per Tech board(good condition), two new sails (barely used),3 older sails. $1900/ BO. (941) 795-8704.Bradenton. _________________________________________
Dinghy Package Yankee Boatworks 9’3”fiberglass with cover $650, Kato heavy dutydavits $550, all for $1000 OBO. photo avail-able (321) 431-4380. (3/07)_________________________________________
3-foot Racing Sailboat. Radio-controlled.Like new, never used. $195. (941) 493-2085.(1/07)_________________________________________
9’ Fiberglass Dinghy. Livingston doublehulled dinghy with towing harness. Very sta-ble. Fits foredeck of 32’ sailboat. $500. Ken(252) 514-2609. (1/07)_________________________________________
Zodiac Dinghy, 10 ft., 2001, good condition.$800/OBO. (813) 831-8585. (1/07)_________________________________________
Bauer 10 Sailboat. Fiberglass with the center-board. Fully equipped with trailer. Both New.Cost $4315. Sell both for $2850 or boat onlyfor $2500. (941) 966-3507. (1/07)
1981 Compac 16, w/trailer, newwheels/tires, spare & jack. New running rig-ging, plexiglass hatch cover, vent, & tillerhandle. Compass, anchor, chain, line, lifejackets & horn. Owners manual. Call (954)629-1074. (3/07)_________________________________________
Catalina 22 1983. Ready to Sail, GreatConditon, New Bottom, Keel & StandingRigging ‘05, Well-equipped, w/Trailer, 9.9Johnson $4500 obo (954) 920-4945 for infoand pics. (3/07)
1971 O’Day Rhodes 19 Sailboat, 3’3” keel,battery, sails, new bottom paint, new cush-ions, cockpit Sunbrella cover, electrical, 2-anchors, many accessories, Very good condi-tion, restored. $1500 OBO. (813) 831-8585.www.RedMcKenna.com. (1/07)
J29 Hull # 225 MHOB. For Sale. Fat Bottom Girl.All new rigging and running gear. Professionallyfared bottom and keel, new interlux whiteepoxy bottom. One-year-old racing #1, .60Quantum spinnaker, #3 and racing main. Also,heavy #1, 2 mains and .75 spinnaker. Boat hashad a refit in the last couple years, great condi-tion. Two spinnaker poles, (one carbon fiber), –much more. Trailer included. $26,500. Pleasecontact [email protected]. (941) 376-9929.Rick. (1/07)
Nonsuch 30 1984 Ultra Excellent condition.Recent upgrades include rebuilt Westerbeke33. North sail. Extensive refit in 2005.Currently in Florida Keys. Bahamas cruise-ready. $69,900. (305) 849-1929. (1/07)
Catalina 30, 1988 Tall rig, wing keel, draft3’10”. New full canvas, new fridge, genoa,battery charger, auto pilot, windless. Toomany upgrades to list. Must see. $34,900.(352) 597-4912. (2/07)
• Classified ads with text only for boats are $25 fora three-month ad for up to 30 words. $50 for adwith horizontal photo ($65 if vertical photo). Checkor Credit cards accepted. Must be for sale by owner– no business ads. Boats wanted ads included.• $15 for 3 months for gear and boats under$500. Add $15 for a photo for 3 months. Up to 30words. Free ads for gear under $100 (Up to 30words. One ad per customer.)• All other ads (including business ads) are $20 amonth for up to 20 words, add $5 a month for eachadditional 10 words. $10 a month for a horizontalphoto. Frequency discounts available. Contact editor.• All ads go on the SOUTHWINDS Web site. For aone-time $10 fee, we will place your ad on theInternet before going to press on the next issue. • No Refunds • The last month your ad runs will be in parenthe-ses, e.g., (10/06) is January 2007.
• Ad must be received by the 10th of the month.
TO PLACE AN AD:1. On the Internet www.southwindsmagazine.comThis applies only to the $25 and $50 ads above withand without photo. Pay with Paypal and put yourad in the subject line. If a photo, then e-mail [email protected] as a separate jpegattachment.2. Via E-mail and Credit Card. E-mail your ad [email protected]. Text can be put inthe e-mail. Send photos as a separate jpeg attach-ment to the e-mail. Pay by mail (see below) or creditcard. You can call us with a credit card number. Giveus the credit card number, expiration, billing addressand name on card. Call (941) 795-8704.3. Mail your ad in. Mail to SOUTHWINDS, PO Box1175, Holmes Beach, FL 34218-1175. Send a checkor credit card number with information as listed in #2
CLASSIFIED ADS — 3 Months for $25Place your ad early on the Internet for $10
C L A S S I F I E D A D S
above. Mail the photo in (35mm best). If you wantthe photo back, enclose a SASE. Add $5 for a typingcharge.4. Telephone or fax your ad in. Telephone your adin with a credit card. (941) 795-8704. $5 typingcharge.
DISPLAY CLASSIFIEDSAdvertise your business in a display
ad in the classifieds section.1” $25/month . . . . . . . .12-month minimum
(paid in advance)2” $38/month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 months2” $44/month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 months2” $50/month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 months3” $57/month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 months3” $66/month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 months3” $75/month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 months
ADVERTISE YOUR BOAT
Starting at$25 for 3 months
Subscribe to SOUTHWINDS$19.95/year • $37/2 Years • 3rd Class$24/year • $45/2 Years • 1st Class
Subscribe on our secure Web sitewww.southwindsmagazine.com
C L A S S I F I E D A D S
Catalina 30 1991 MK II Ultimate CruiserStd rig, wing keel, full bimini/dodger, newspinnaker, 3.5kw Genset, A/C, Electric fridge,watermaker, icemaker, microwave, inverter, 2battery chargers, Link 2000, Raymarine SL 70Radar, 425 Chartplotter, Tri-data, 4000STAutopilot with remote, Garmin 128 GPS,Loran, JVC CD/Stereo, 8.6’ dink with Nissan2.5OB, $49,900. Niceville, FL (850) 699-2717. (2/07)
Hunter 30 1980 Sail Yanmar 18hp diesel,sleeps 6, very clean, GPS, VHS, AM/FM, 4 ft.modified wing keel, PDFs, bottom paint one-year old, need to sell, “moving.” (941) 697-6995. (2/07)
30’ Pearson, Racer/Cruiser Sloop, 1976 Red,Excellent cond., 2 mains, 3 jibs, 3 spinnakers,spinnaker pole. Tiller, marine radio, stove,new pot, sleeps 6, $12,900. Madeira Beach,FL [email protected]. (727) 581-4708 or(727) 244-4708. (2/07)
1981 Cape Dory Cutter 30 Well-equippedcruising boat. Surveyed 2002 at $35K. Toughboat, no damages in Katrina. Volvo Diesel.New head and sailcovers in 2005. $32,000.John (228) 343-9546. (2/07)
Columbia 31. 1966. 3-foot draft. Atomic 4inboard. 150 jib. Harken Roller furling.Lewmar 2-speed winches. Much restoration ofinterior and exterior. Many Extras. 10-footdinghy – Must See! (727) 938-5453. (1/07)
32’ Westsail (1977) Perkins 4-107 diesel,Aires vane, Harken roller furling, S-L windlass,35CQR, 33 Bruce, cold plate refrigeration, airconditioning, Garmin chartplotter. Dodger &Bimini. Exceptional condition, little used.$55,000/OBO. Call (954) 560-3919. (2/07)
Rodgers 33, 1981 2’8” draft, GreatFlorida/Bahamas boat, bimini, ti l lerw/auto-pilot, 2GM Yanmar, new interior,propane stove, pressure water, 16K A/C,microwave, stereo, VHF, $27,000, (941)722-3126. (2/07)
Hunter 33, 1980. 4-foot draft sloop. Dinghywith OB, Yanmar 2QM15. Many upgrades,Autopilot, GPS, 10-amp autocharger. Newbottom Paint. Good condition. New headsail.$17,000. Cape Coral. (239) 834-9004. (3/07)_________________________________________
1985 Hunter 34 Sacrifice. $26k. New sails,bottom paint September ‘05. Located at LakeMartin, Dadeville, AL. Great condition. Photosand inventory list [email protected]. (1/07)
350 Island Packet 1998. Original Owner,Bahamas-ready, 4kw gen, 8gal/hr watermak-er, roller furling, autopilot, electronics, radar,ac/heat, refrig., full canvas, davits, EPIRB,more custom upgrades, reduced to$168,000. (727) 392-3162. (3/07)
1995 Hunter 35.5 Only 615 hrs on Yanmar27. New canvas, Navico autopilot, ST 60depth, ST 60 speed, Furuno GPS, SGC SSBradio, Apelco VHF, dinghy w/OB engine, rollerfurling, full batten main w/dutchman, solarpanel, S&L windlass, holding plate refrigera-tion, SS propane stove, 12000 BTU marine air,TV, stereo. Ready to sail with performance andpleasure. $59,900. www.cortezyachts.com.(941) 792-9100
Gozzard 36, 1987 Paradise had refit in ’06 atGozzard factory which included partialAwlgrip, new sails. Also, the bottom and theexterior wood stripped and redid ’06. Bob(314) 487-4543, [email protected]. _________________________________________
37’ Irwin 1976 Brand new Mainsail/cover,refrig., VHF, stereo. New central AC. 6 batter-ies/cables/switch/charger. 14 ports. Solarpanel, Water pump/heater, etc. $89,000.(305) 240-0303. Key West, FL. (2/07)
SEE CLASSIFIED INFO ON PAGE 64
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 65
TransWorld CT 41,1979 Proven full-keel bluewater cruiser. Perkins 4-108 diesel. 46’ LOAwith bowsprit. Ketch-rigged Center Cockpitwith walk thru to aft cabin. Complete Awlgrippaint 2002. Custom stainless steel rails anddavits. 10’ 6” Caribe RIB with 15hp OB. Fullgalley. Beautiful teak interior with lots of stor-age. Maxwell electric windlass. Much more.Asking $99,000. (941) 792-9100www.cortezyachts.com
Bayfield 40 Hull # 34 full keel 5’ draft, cutterketch designed by H.T.Gozzard built in 1984.Exceptional condition with lots of new gear.Harken roller furling on all sails. Marine air,WS, WD, depth, VHF w/remote, SSB,cd/radio, autopilot, chartplotter, Radar,dinghy, life raft $109,000 Call Major Carter orvisit www.Cortezyachts.com (941) 792-9100
Beneteau 473 $350,000. Canadian regis-tered located on Grand Bahama. Extensivecustomization, latest equipment, well-main-tained vessel, equipped for long distancecruising. Generator, dinghy, outboard.Excellent condition. Showboat [email protected]. (1/07)
BOAT GEAR & SUPPLIES_________________________________________
Martec folding prop 18x14x1-1/4 shaft$125. 22 lb. Danforth $35. Sealab SSB 7 crys-tals $25. Plastic holding tank “V” 24 gal. $20.Plastic water tank 36 gal. $20. LocatedMelbourne, FL. Take it all for $175! (321)431-4380. (3/07)_________________________________________
Two Montague folding, full-size bicycles;perfect for cruising. Like new, with manyextras, including soft carrying cases. “A bicyclethat folds, not a folding bicycle.” $350 each.(941)743-7156 or (941)504-3302. (1/07’)_________________________________________
8’ Sailing Dinghy “Trinka.” Perfect condition,all factory options, like new sails. Cost $4,000new, sacrifice $1,125. (352) 597-4912.(2/07)_________________________________________
Mainsails Wanted for Catalina 28, MK II, butMKI might work. Tall rig. (941) [email protected]._________________________________________
Used Boat Gear for Sale Paratech 15 & 18—both with line and chain, stainless propanestoves, 10’ Dyer sailing dinghy, 8’ Walker BaySailing Dinghy with Inflatable Tube, Offshorelife vests, 6-man coastal life raft, 36’, 26’, 30’masts & booms, some with rigging. NauticalTrader, 110 E. Colonia Lane, Nokomis, FL,(941) 488-0766. Shop online at www.nauti-caltrader.net. _________________________________________
85 LB Anchor. Danforth High Tensile.Unused, still in shipping crate. Only $450.(407) 967-2009. (2/07)_________________________________________
Backstay Adjuster Wheel type, 13.5 to 19.5inch adjustment, 1/2” pins, $125. BonitaSprings (239) 281-5051. (2/07)_________________________________________
Aluminum Whisker Pole Adjustable from 10to 18 feet, 2-3/8 inch dia. Latching ends.$125 Bonita Springs. (239) 281-5051. (2/07)_________________________________________
Roll-Up Dinghy 8.4 Ft West MarineSportboat, Grey. $125 Bonita Springs.(239) 281-5051. (2/07)_________________________________________
Outboard Motors for Sale JohnsonSailmaster 6 hp, overhauled recently,$750/OBO. Tohatsu-3.5hp 2001. $300. (813)831-8585. (1/07)_________________________________________
Zodiac Dinghy 10 ft., 2001, good condition.$800/OBO. (1/07)_________________________________________
Old Divers Helmet Copper and brass. Nodents, excellent shape. Only $495. (941) 493-2085. (1/07)
C L A S S I F I E D A D S
Boat classifieds start at$25/3mo.
66 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
SEE CLASSIFIED INFO ON PG 64
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 67
BOAT REGISTRATION_________________________________________
EASIEST, FASTEST MONTANA BOAT REGIS-TRATION Pay No Sales Tax - No AttorneyNecessary. $$ Save Thousands on Boat regis-tration $$. 12 yrs experience-REGISTRATIONIN 5 DAYS! 877.913.5100www.mtvehicles.com. (1/07)
BUSINESSES FOR SALE/INVESTMENTS
_________________________________________
FOR SALE: Florida East Coast Sail LoftEstablished 10 years. Well-equipped, extensiveinventory and client list. Walking distance toseveral marinas. New sail design, constructionand repairs. Custom canvas work, exterior/interior, and cushions. Strong used sail invento-ry. Respond to [email protected]. (1/07)
CHARTS & BOOKS_________________________________________
Ocean Routing Jenifer Clark’s Gulf StreamBoat Routing/Ocean Charts by the “best inthe business.” (301) 952-0930, fax (301)574-0289 or www.erols.com/gulfstrm
CREW AVAILABLE/WANTED_________________________________________
Visit SOUTHWINDS “NEW” boat and crewlisting service at southwindsmagazine.com
HELP WANTED_________________________________________
Looking for Marine Parts Counter Person.Experience with marine industry beneficial.Full time with great insurance benefits andpaid holidays. Parts dept. Not computerized.Snead island Boat Works – Attn: Gary (941)722-2400. (2/07)_________________________________________
Massey Yacht Sales Mobile Broker Do youprefer to sell yachts from your home office? Ifyou do and you are a proven, successful yachtsales professional, we have positions open forFlorida west and east coast. Take advantage ofthe Massey sales and marketing support, salesmanagement and administration while work-ing from your home selling brokerage sail andpower boats. Call Frank Hamilton at (941)723-1610 for interview appointment andposition details._________________________________________
Sailboat Captain wanted and Crew wantedfor exciting boat charter company located inSouth Florida. 5 star luxury resort. Captain: 100ton, sail aux. $70,000 - $100,000. Crew:$30,000 - $50,000. For interview, please call(561) 368-3566 or Fax or E-mail Resume to (561)368-0267 or [email protected]. (1/07)_________________________________________
SAILMAKER St. Petersburg Industrial SewingMachine and Hand sewing experience fornew sails and repairs. Must be capable of lift-ing 40 lbs. Benefits available for full-timework. Must have valid FL Drivers license. EOE.Contact: Peter O. (727) 471-2040, DoylePloch Sailmakers. _________________________________________
Articles and Race Reports in the Carolinas &Georgia. [email protected]._________________________________________Writers, Reporters, Articles, Photos Wanted.SOUTHWINDS is looking for articles on boating,racing, sailing in the Southern waters, theCaribbean and the Bahamas, and other articleson the following subjects: marinas, anchorages,mooring fields, disappearing marinas/boat-yards, marinas/boatyards sold for condos,anchoring rights, sailing human interest stories,boat reviews, charter stories, waste disposal—and more. Photos wanted, plus we want coverphotos (pay $65) of both race and non-racesubjects, but about sailing. Cover photos mustbe very high resolution and vertical format.Writers and Ideas Wanted on WaterwaysIssues. SOUTHWINDS is looking for writers, actingas independent subcontractors to research andwrite articles on subjects discussed in the OurWaterways section. Must be familiar with boat-ing, good at research, have computer skills,high-speed Internet access and work for littlepay. Most important, must have a passion forthe subject and want to bring about change andimprovement of boaters rights, waterwaysaccess, and disappearing marinas and boat-yards—with lots of ideas and energy to helpbring about improvements through variousmeans. We would also like to get an organiza-tion going to promote these interests if you canhelp. Writers, photographers, cartoonists, jokers,magicians, philosophers and others of question-able professions may apply. Send info to: [email protected].
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE OR RENT_________________________________________
Deepwater Boat Slip Included! 3 bedroom,2 bath, 2-car garage townhome. MarinersPass, St. Petersburg, FL. $299k. Loads ofupdates. Call Bob Sackett, Realtor (727) 527-7373 ext. 112. (1/07)
GULF SHORES, AL - Gated waterfront condoon ICW, view of Mobile Bay. Boat slip.First level, end unit, 3br/2ba furnished withwraparound deck, covered 2 car parking.Elevator, 2 pools, 2 tennis courts, clubhousew/party room, weight room, hot tub. LEASEOR PURCHASE. $1,500 mo or $515,000.(251) 968-6265. (2/07)
Waterfront Home for Rent with DeepwaterSlip. 2 bedroom 1 bath, with office. CentralAC, Gulf Harbors, New Port Richey.Remodeled, excellent condition, new carpetand paint. $1150/month. 1 year lease. (352)795-9276. (1/07)
Waterfront Homes For Sale. Madeira Beach,FL. Easy Gulf access via John’s Pass. ProtectedDEEP water. 100-ft new seawall. Wide openviews. 3/2 and 2/2 available. (727) [email protected]. (1/07)
Office/Shop Space for rent. Marine relatedpreferred. Phone/Internet included. Flexiblesize space. Short term or month to month ok.JSI 3000 Gandy Blvd, St. Pete (727) 577-3220. (1/07)
LODGING FOR SAILORS_________________________________________
Ponce de Leon HotelHistoric downtown hotel at the bay, acrossfrom St. Petersburg YC. 95 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 550-9300 FAX (727) 896-2287www.poncedeleonhotel.com
C L A S S I F I E D A D S
ADVERTISEYOUR HOME
Starting at$25 for 3 months
SAILING INSTRUCTION_________________________________________
SAILS & CANVAS_________________________________________
Racing Spinnaker. Neil Pryde Tri-radialSpinnaker. Nearly new. No patches or stains.Approximate dimensions: Foot 32’4”, Leech55’8”, Luff 64’. White, medium blue and lightblue. $1800 or best offer. (813) 695-8737.(1/07)
68 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
AMERICAN MARINE & SUPPLY . . . . . . . . . . .21,27ANNAPOLIS PERFORMANCE SAILING . . . . . . . .51AQUA GRAPHICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56ATLANTIC SAIL TRADERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20BANKS SAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57BEACHMASTER PHOTOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . .29BENETEAU SAILBOATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BCBETA MARINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37BOATERS EXCHANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27,44BO’SUN SUPPLIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17CAPT. JIMMY HENDON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28CATALINA YACHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21,27CLEARWATER YC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52CORAL REEF SAILING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54CORTEZ YACHT BROKERAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65CROW’S NEST RESTAURANT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16CRUISING DIRECT SAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42DEFENDER INDUSTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13DOCKSIDE RADIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20DUNBAR SALES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21DWYER MAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68EASTERN YACHTS/BENETEAU . . . . . . . . .21,63,BCEDWARDS YACHT SALES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62E-MARINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66FLYING SCOT SAILBOATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65FOREX, FOREIGN EXCHANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28FULL SAIL YACHT DELVIERIES/CAPT. . . . . . . . . . .29GARHAUER HARDWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12GASPARILLA REGATTA, TAMPA SS . . . . . . . . . . . .53GLACIER BAY REFRIGERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16GULF COAST YACHT SALES . . . . . . . . . . .60,64,65GULF ISLAND SAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27HOBIE CATS/TACKLE SHACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36HOTWIRE/FANS & OTHER PRODUCTS . . . . . . .29HURRICANE HOOPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44J/BOATS - MURRAY YACHT SALES . . . . . . . . . . .BCJR OVERSEAS/MOISTURE METER . . . . . . . . . . . .33JSI - NEW JSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38LAURIE KIMBALL REALTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4LEATHER WHEEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56LEX-SEA CHARTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28MASSEY YACHT SALES . . . . . . . . .7,10,21,IFC, IBCMASTHEAD ENTERPRISES . . . . . . . . . . .4,27,60,68
MASTMATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18MURRAY YACHT SALES/BENETEAU . . . . . . . .61,BCNATIONAL SAIL SUPPLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23NAUTICAL TRADER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13NEW JSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38NOBLE AWARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29NORTH SAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,68OFFSHORE SAILING SCHOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19PATRICIA KNOLL REALTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47PORPOISE USED SAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28QUANTUM SARASOTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3RB GROVE/UNIVERSAL AND WESTERBEKE . . . . .45REGATTA DEL SOL AL SOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22REGATTA POINTE MARINA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9RPARTS REFRIGERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43SAILAMERICA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35SAILORS WHARF BOATYARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25SAILRITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43SAILTIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11SALTY JOHN MARINE PRODUCTS . . . . . . . . . . .28SARASOTA YOUTH SAILING PROGRAM DONATEDBOATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63SCHURR SAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13SCURVY DOG MARINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25SEA SCHOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17SEA TECH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31,66SSMR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7ST. AUGUSTINE SAILING SCHOOL . . . . . . . . . . .68ST. BARTS/BENETEAU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BCSUNCOAST INFLATABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15SUNRISE SAILING SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29SUNSAIL FLORIDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29SUNSET REALTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19TACKLE SHACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36TAMPA SAILING SQUADRON YOUTH PROGRAM26TURNER MARINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21UK HALSEY SAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8ULLMAN SAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28,29WATERSPORTS WEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28WEATHERMARK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27WINDPATH FRACTIONAL SAILING . . . . . . . . . . .46YACHTING VACATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
RACING CALENDARS continued from page 59
ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
TELL THEM YOU SAW IT IN SOUTHWINDS! SOUTHWINDS provides this list as a courtesyand asks our readers to support our advertisers. This list includes all display advertising.
C L A S S I F I E D A D S
16-18 St. Petersburg YC. Sailing World NOODs. (National Offshore One Design).15-19 Strictly Sail Miami Boat Show, Miamarina. www.sailamerica.com. 17-18 Clearwater Yacht Club. Laser Master Midwinters. 17-18 Lake Eustis Sailing Club. George Washington Birthday Regatta. All-class, dinghies,
Cats, Windsurfers.19-21 Davis Island YC. Pan Am Trials, Sunfish22-25 Davis Island YC. J/24 Midwinters. 25-Mar 2 St. Petersburg YC. Thistle Midwinters.
RACING CALENDAR
JANUARY6-7 GYA Winter Meeting, Mobile, AL13 Frostbite Regatta. Pensacola Beach Yacht Club, Pensacola Beach, FL19-21 US SAILING Symposiums. New Orleans Marriott, New Orleans, LA20 Food World Senior Bowl Regatta. Mobile Yacht Club, Mobile, AL27 SuperBowl Regatta. Pensacola Yacht Club, Pensacola, FLFEBRUARY10 Valentine Regatta, Pensacola Beach Yacht Club, Pensacola Beach, FL16-18 NOODs, St. Petersburg, FL17 Mardi Gras Regatta, Pensacola Yacht Club, Pensacola, FL
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■ SAILBOATS – NEW AND BROKERAGEAmerican Marine & Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,27Beneteau Sailboats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BCBoaters Exchange/Catalina Sailboats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,44Catalina Yachts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,27Cortez Yacht Brokerage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Dunbar Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Eastern Yachts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,63,BCEdwards Yacht Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Flying Scot Sailboats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Gulf Coast Yacht Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,64,65Gulf Island Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Hobie Cats/Tackle Shack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Massey Yacht Sales/Catalina//Hunter/Albin . . . . . . . . 7,10,21,IFC, IBCMasthead Yacht Sales/Catalina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Murray Yacht Sales/Beneteau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61,BCSarasota Youth Sailing Program donated boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63St. Barts/Beneteau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BCSuncoast Inflatables/ West Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, St. Petersburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Tampa Sailing Squadron Youth Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Turner Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Watersports West/Windsurfing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Weathermark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27■ GEAR, HARDWARE, ACCESSORIES, CLOTHINGAnnapolis Performance Sailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Boaters Exchange, boats, gear, etc. Rockledge FL . . . . . . . . . . . 27,44Bo’sun Supplies/Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Coral Reef Sailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Defender Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13E-Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Garhauer Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Hotwire/Fans & other products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Hurricane Hoops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44JR Overseas/Moisture Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33JSI - New JSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Leather Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Masthead Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,27,60,68Mastmate Mast Climber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Nautical Trader/buy/sell/consign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13NEW JSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Rparts Refrigeration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Sailrite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Salty John Marine Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28SSMR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, Precision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Watersports West/wet suits, etc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28■ SAILS (NEW & USED), RIGGING, SPARS, RIGGING SERVICESAtlantic Sail Traders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Banks Sails/new, used, repair & canvas/ West Florida . . . . . . . . . . . 57Cruising Direct/sails online by North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Dwyer Mast/spars, hardware, rigging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68JSI - New JSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Masthead/Used Sails and Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,27,60,68National Sail Supply, new&used online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23NEW JSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38North Sails, new and used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,68Porpoise Used Sails. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Quantum Sails and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Schurr Sails, Pensacola FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13SSMR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Sunrise Sailing Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29,57UK Halsey Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Ullman Sails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,29■ CANVASBanks Sails/new, used, repair & canvas/ West Florida . . . . . . . . . . . 57JSI - New JSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Quantum Sails and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3■ USED SAILING/BOATING SUPPLIESNautical Trader/buy/sell/consign, West Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Scurvy Dog Marine/Used, Consign, Pensacola FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS January 2007 69
ADVERTISERS INDEX BY CATEGORYTELL THEM YOU SAW IT IN SOUTHWINDS! SOUTHWINDS providesthis list as a courtesy and asks our readers to support our advertisers. Thislist includes all display advertising.
■ SAILING SCHOOLS/DELIVERIES/CAPTAINSCapt. Jimmy Hendon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Full Sail Sailing Deliveries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Sea School/Captain’s License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17St. Augustine Sailing School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Sunsail Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Adventure Cruising and Sailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28■ MARINE ENGINES AND ACCESSORIESBeta Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38RB Grove/Universal and Westerbeke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45■ REAL ESTATELaurie Kimball Realtor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Pat Knoll, Sunstate Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Sunset Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19■ RESORTS, MARINAS, RESTAURANTS, BOAT YARDSCrow’s Nest Restaurant & Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Regatta Pointe Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Sailors Wharf Boatyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25■ FRACTIONAL SAILING/CHARTER COMPANIESLex-Sea Charters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Sunsail Florida charters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Windpath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Yachting Vacations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45■ MARINE SERVICES, SURVEYORS, INSURANCE, TOWING, BOAT LETTERING, ETC.Aqua Graphics/Boat Names/Tampa Bay or buy online . . . . . . . . . . 56Beachmaster Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Forex, Foreign Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28■ MARINE ELECTRONICSDockside Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20JR Overseas/Moisture Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Sea Tech/Navigation/Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,66■ BOOKS/CHARTS/VIDEOS/AWARDSNoble Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Southwinds Cruising Guides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24■ REGATTA ADVERTISEMENTS, BOAT SHOWSClearwater YC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Gasparilla Regatta, Tampa SS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Regata del Sol al Sol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22SailAmerica Strictly Sail Miami . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Alphabetical Advertisers’ List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Marine Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,29Regional Sailing Services Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56,57Subscription Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
W ater lapped softly on the hull as the morning sunfiltered into the forward cabin. I got up andstepped up into the salon to look around. The
bay was calm. A few boats were anchored nearby. Ourfriends Randy and Cindy were anchored astern in theirKrogen Manatee, Morning Star. I’m still getting used tothe fabulous visibility we have as we sit at the salon tableof our Camano 31, the trawler we bought last year aftersailing for many years.
I decided to start the coffee. I switched on the invert-er instead of starting the Genset, since Patty was stillsleeping. We now use an electric coffeemaker, a conces-sion I have made to our more convenient style of cruising.
I almost hate to give away the location of this fabu-lous get-away so close to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Itis a bay almost three miles long, running roughly north-east to southwest. The entrance is well-marked, but it hasseveral unexpected turns through some rather shallowwater. Just through a little bridge on the south end isBradenton Yacht Club. Some of you know the place, TerraCeia Bay.
In just a few minutes the coffee was ready. I sat at thetable looking out and thinking of the wonderful steak din-ner we had enjoyed aboard Morning Star the previousevening. It was a beautiful clear night, just cool enough tobe pleasant, with a gorgeous sunset. We sat out on the aftdeck at a real table, with real chairs, dining by the light ofa kerosene lamp.
Later, a few sailboats began to take advantage of themorning breeze. I will always enjoy the sight of a boat
under sail. They glided by without making a sound, thecrew adjusting lines and looking aloft attending to the sailtrim. It was nice to watch from the comfort of my salontable, enjoying my coffee.
Things are just easier and more convenient aboardour trawler; the electric windlass, the three-burner stovein the galley, the electrical conveniences provided by theGenset and the space and visibility.
When Patty got up, I fixed bacon and eggs, and thenwe took the dinghy around to explore. The shoreline ofthis bay is almost all “manatee zones” so there aren’tmany speeding boats to worry about. By the way, it wasquite easy to deploy the dinghy, place the transom on theswim platform and place the outboard on the dinghy…soeasy compared to lowering it over the side from the sternpulpit of the sailboat. It also makes it very easy to get inand out of the dinghy, having a swim platform and a doorthrough the transom.
As our friends prepared to leave, I hailed MorningStar to wish them well. Randy, another former sailor,wanted to get under way early to avoid the cross wind ashe motored across Tampa Bay. I commented about thewind out of the southwest. Randy radioed back, “It’ssoutheast on my boat.”
That’s when I realized I had gotten pretty far awayfrom sailing pretty fast. He was right. It was southeaster-ly. I don’t have to be as concerned about wind directionanymore now that we don’t rely on the wind for propul-sion. Yes, I am transitioning rather quickly to the TrawlerLife, “the dark side.”
70 January 2007 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com
From Sail to Steam Revisited:Living on the Dark Side
By Gary R. Gray
Last year Patty and Gary Gray, after many years of sailing, sold their Catalina 30 and switched to a trawler, a lifestyle describedby another ex-sailor as “going over to the dark side.”